Tracking and predation on earthworms by the invasive terrestrial planarian Bipalium adventitium (Tricladida, Platyhelminthes)

The potential ecological impact of exotic terrestrial planarians will be determined in part by their sensory abilities and predatory behavior. It has been suggested that these flatworms may only encounter their earthworm prey by chance, hence restricting the breadth of species they will feed upon and the number of microhabitats in which predator-prey interactions occur. We hypothesized that those flatworms that have already successfully invaded North America (genus Bipalium) actually detect and follow chemical trails of earthworms and possess the behavioral repertoire needed to feed on the prey in a range of microhabitats. We examined: (1) the tendency of Bipalium adventitium to follow chemical trails left by injured and un-injured earthworms; (2) the behavioral repertoire and predatory success of B. adventithiun feeding on three earthworm species in subterranean tunnels; and (3) the response of flatworms to the reportedly defensive secretions of the earthworm Eisenia fetida in tunnels. B. adventititium detected and followed trails of earthworm mucus and secretions left by injured and un-injured earthworms. Flatworms followed trails on a range of substrates and pursued and captured three species of earthworms in subterranean tunnels, including individuals many times their mass. Although most behavior exhibited during underground attacks was similar to that reported for surface encounters, the flatworms also behaved in ways that blocked earthworm escape from tunnels. The flatworms were less successful at preying on E. fetida than on Lumbricus rubellus and Lumbricus terrestris in underground tunnels and showed some aversion to the secretions from E. fetida. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.