100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species

100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species is a list of invasive species compiled by the Global Invasive Species Database in 2014. The IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG), which maintains the list, acknowledges that it is "very difficult to identify 100 invasive species from around the world that really are 'worse' than any others."

Criteria for inclusion

Two criteria were used in selecting items for the list:

• An invasive species' "serious impact on biological diversity and/or human activities" and
• That species' "illustration of important issues surrounding biological invasion"

According to the ISSG, "only one species from each genus was selected."

List of species

Species	Type	Common names	Notes
Acacia mearnsii	shrub	Black wattle, Australian acacia	Invasive worldwide. Native to Australia.
Acridotheres tristis	bird	Common myna, Calcutta myna, house myna, Indian myna, martin triste, talking myna	Invasive in Australia, Hawaii, and Fiji. Established and potentially invasive in parts of Europe. Native to South Asia.
Aedes albopictus	insect	Asian tiger mosquito, forest day mosquito, tiger mosquito	Spread via the international tire trade. Native to tropical Asia.
Anopheles quadrimaculatus	insect	Common malaria mosquito	Invasive in North America.
Anoplolepis gracilipes	insect	Yellow crazy ant, crazy ant, gramang ant, long-legged ant, Maldive ant	Invasive in Australia, Hawaii and Indian Ocean islands.
Anoplophora glabripennis	insect	Asian long-horned beetle, starry sky beetle	Invasive in North America and established and potentially invasive in parts of Europe. Native to East Asia.
Aphanomyces astaci	protozoan	Crayfish plague	Invasive in Europe. Native to North America.
Ardisia elliptica	tree	Shoebutton Ardisia	Invasive in tropical Australia, South Florida, the Caribbean and many Pacific and Indian Ocean islands. Native to South and Southeast Asia.
Arundo donax	grass	Giant cane, arundo grass, bamboo reed, cane, cow cane, donax cane, giant reed, reedgrass, river cane, Spanish cane, Spanish reed, wild cane	Invasive in California.
Asterias amurensis	echinoderm	Northern Pacific seastar, flatbottom seastar, Japanese seastar, Japanese starfish, North Pacific seastar, purple-orange seastar	Invasive in the southern coasts of Australia. Native to far north Pacific Ocean coasts.
Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV)	virus	Banana bunchy top disease, BBTD, abaca bunchy top virus, BBTV, bunchy top, bunchy top virus	Invasive worldwide.
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis	fungus	"Bd," chytrid frog fungi, chytridiomycosis, frog chytrid fungus	Invasive in Australia and Panama.
Bemisia tabaci	insect	Cotton whitefly, sweet potato whitefly, sweetpotato whitefly	Invasive worldwide.
Boiga irregularis	reptile	Brown catsnake, brown tree snake, brown treesnake	Invasive in Guam. Native to Wallacea, New Guinea, Melanesia, and northern and eastern Australia.
Bufo marinus = Rhinella marina	amphibian	Cane toad, bufo toad, bullfrog, giant American toad, giant neotropical toad, giant toad, marine toad, Suriname toad	Invasive in Australia, Melanesia, the Pacific, Philippines, Taiwan, and the West Indies. Native to South America and Central America.
Capra hircus	mammal	Goat, feral goat	Invasive worldwide. See also feral goats in Australia.
Carcinus maenas	crustacean	European green crab, European shore crab, green crab, shore crab	Invasive in North America, Australia, parts of South America and South Africa. Native to Europe and northern Africa.
Caulerpa taxifolia	alga	Killer Alga(e)	Invasive in the Mediterranean Sea. Native to the Indian Ocean.
Cecropia peltata	tree	Faux-ricin, pumpwood, trumpet tree, snakewood	Invasive in Malaysia, Africa, and Pacific Islands. Native to tropical Central and South America.
Cercopagis pengoi	crustacean	Fishhook waterflea	Invasive in Eastern Europe and in the Baltic Sea. Native to the Ponto-Aralo-Caspian basin.
Cervus elaphus	mammal	Red deer, deer, elk, European red deer	Invasive in South America, New Zealand, and Australia.
Chromolaena odorata	herb	Siam weed, bitter bush, Christmas bush, devil weed, camfhur grass, common floss flower, jack in the bush, triffid	Invasive in tropical Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. Native to South America and Central America.
Cinara cupressi	insect	Cypress aphid	Invasive worldwide.
Cinchona pubescens	tree	Red cinchona, quina	Invasive in Hawaii, the Galapagos Islands and Tahiti. Native to Central and South America.
Clarias batrachus	fish	Walking catfish, clarias catfish, climbing perch, freshwater catfish, Thailand catfish	Invasive in North America. Native to Southeast Asia.
Clidemia hirta	shrub	Koster's curse, faux vatouk, soap bush, soapbush	Invasive in Hawaii, Indian Ocean islands (Seychelles), peninsular Malaysia, and parts of Micronesia (Palau).
Coptotermes formosanus	insect	Formosa termite, Formosan subterranean termite	Invasive in South Africa, Hawaii, and the United States mainland. Native to southern Japan, Taiwan and South China.
Cryphonectria parasitica	fungus	Chestnut blight	Invasive in North America.
Cyprinus carpio	fish	Common carp, European carp, fancy carp, feral carp, German carp, grass carp, Japanese domesticated carp, king carp, koi, koi carp, leather carp, mirror carp, Oriental carp, scale carp, wild carp	Invasive worldwide.
Dreissena polymorpha	mollusc	Eurasian zebra mussel, wandering mussel, zebra mussel	Invasive in North America and Western Europe. Native to Eastern Europe.
Eichhornia crassipes	aquatic plant	Water hyacinth, floating water hyacinth, water orchid	Invasive worldwide. Native to South America.
Eleutherodactylus coqui	amphibian	Caribbean tree frog, common coqui, coqui, Puerto Rican treefrog	Invasive in Hawaii, Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, and Florida. Native to Puerto Rico.
Eriocheir sinensis	crustacean	Chinese mitten crab, big sluice crab, Chinese freshwater edible crab, Chinese river crab, Shanghai hairy crab	Invasive in Europe and North America. Native to East Asia.
Euglandina rosea	mollusc	Cannibal snail, rosy wolf snail	Invasive in Indian and Pacific Ocean islands. Native to the southeastern United States.
Euphorbia esula	herb	Leafy spurge, green spurge, spurge, wolf's milk	Invasive worldwide. Native to Europe and temperate Asia.
Felis catus	mammal	Cat, domestic cat, feral cat, house cat	Invasive worldwide.
Gambusia affinis	fish	Mosquitofish, guayacon mosquito, live-bearing tooth-carp, mosquito fish, pez mosquito, western mosquitofish	Invasive worldwide. Native to the fresh waters of the eastern and southern United States.
Hedychium gardnerianum	herb	Ginger lily, kahila garland-lily, kahili ginger, wild ginger
Herpestes javanicus	mammal	Small Asian mongoose, small Indian mongoose	Invasive in the northeast coast of South America, Croatia, Amami Island, Fiji, Hawaii, and the West Indies. Native to South and Southeast Asia.
Hiptage benghalensis	shrub	Hiptage	Invasive in Australian rainforests, Mauritius, and Réunion. Native to South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Imperata cylindrica	grass	Blady grass, cogon grass, Japanese bloodgrass, speargrass	Invasive worldwide, including the southeastern United States. Native to Asia.
Lantana camara	shrub	Angel lips, big sage, blacksage, flowered sage, largeleaf lantana, prickly lantana, Spanish flag, West Indian Lantana, white sage, wild sage	Invasive worldwide.
Lates niloticus	fish	Nile perch, African snook, Victoria perch	Invasive worldwide. Contributed to the decline of haplochromines in Lake Victoria. Native to Africa.
Leucaena leucocephala	tree	White leadtree, false koa, faux mimosa, faux-acacia, horse/wild tamarind, jumbie bean, lead tree, wild mimosa, wild tamarind	Invasive throughout the hotter regions of the world. Native to Central America.
Ligustrum robustum	shrub	Bora-bora, Ceylon privét, Sri Lankan privet, tree privet	Invasive in the Mascarene Archipelago (Mauritius and Réunion). Native to South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Linepithema humile	insect	Argentine ant	Invasive worldwide. Native to South America.
Lissachatina fulica	mollusc	Giant African land snail, giant African snail	Invasive in South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, the Pacific, Indian Ocean islands, and the West Indies. Native to West Africa.
Lymantria dispar	insect	Asian gypsy moth, gypsy moth	Invasive worldwide.
Lythrum salicaria	herb	Purple loosestrife, purple lythrum, rainbow weed, spiked loosestrife
Macaca fascicularis	mammal	Crab-eating macaque, long-tailed macaque, lion-tailed macaque.	Invasive in Mauritius, Palau (Angaur Island), Hong Kong and parts of Indonesia (Tinjil Island and Papua). Native to Southeast Asia.
Melaleuca quinquenervia	tree	Paperbark teatree, bottle brush tree, broadleaf paperbark tree, broadleaf teatree, broad-leaved paperbark tree, five-veined paperbark tree, paper bark tree, punk tree, white bottlebrush tree	Invasive in Florida. Native to New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, and coastal eastern Australia.
Miconia calvescens	tree	Bush currant, purple plague, velvet tree	Invasive in Pacific Islands, including Hawaii and Tahiti. Native to rainforests of tropical America.
Micropterus salmoides	fish	Largemouth bass, American black bass, bass, black bass, green bass, green trout, largemouth black bass, northern largemouth bass, stormundet black bass	Invasive worldwide. Native to the eastern United States.
Mikania micrantha	vine, climber	American rope, Chinese creeper, mile-a-minute weed	Invasive in the Pacific. Native to Central and South America.
Mimosa pigra	shrub	Bashful plant, catclaw, catclaw mimosa, giant sensitive plant, giant trembling plant, mimosa	Invasive in Southeast Asia and Australia. Rice crop pest. Native to South America.
Mnemiopsis leidyi	comb jelly	American comb jelly, comb jelly, comb jellyfish, sea gooseberry, sea walnut, Venus' girdle, warty comb jelly	Invasive in Southeast European waters, including the Black, Azov, Marmara, Aegean, and Caspian Seas. Native to temperate, subtropical estuaries along the Atlantic coast of North and South America.
Mus musculus	mammal	Field mouse, house mouse, wood mouse	Invasive worldwide. Native to South Asia.
Mustela erminea	mammal	Stoat, ermine, short-tailed weasel	Invasive in New Zealand. Native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere.
Myocastor coypus	mammal	Bewerrot, biberratte, coipù, coypu, nutria, ragondin	Invasive in North America, Europe, and Asia. Native to South America.
Morella faya	shrub	Candleberry myrtle, fayatree, fire tree, firebush	Invasive in Hawaii, New Zealand, and Australia. native to the Azores, Madeira Islands, and the Canary Islands.
Mytilus galloprovincialis	mollusc	Bay mussel, blue mussel, Mediterranean mussel	Invasive worldwide. Native to the Mediterranean Coast and the Black Sea.
Oncorhynchus mykiss	fish	Rainbow trout, Baja California rainbow trout, coast angel trout, coast rainbow trout, coast range trout, hardhead, Kamchatka steelhead, Kamchatka trout, Kamloops, Kamloops trout, lord-fish, redband, redband trout, salmon trout, silver trout, steelhead, steelhead trout, summer salmon	Invasive worldwide. Native to western North America.
Ophiostoma ulmi sensu lato	fungus	Dutch elm disease	Caused destructive pandemics in Europe and North America. Native to Asia.
Opuntia stricta	shrub	Common prickly pear, Araluen pear, Australian pest pear, common pest pear, erect prickly pear, gayndah pear, sour prickly pear, spiny pest pear	Invasive in South Africa and Australia. Native to Central America.
Oreochromis mossambicus	fish	Tilapia, common tilapia, Java tilapia, kurper bream, Mozambique cichlid, Mozambique mouth-breeder, Mozambique mouthbrooder, Mozambique tilapia	Invasive worldwide.
Oryctolagus cuniculus	mammal	Rabbit, European rabbit	Invasive in Australia and New Zealand. Native to southwestern Europe and North Africa.
Pheidole megacephala	insect	Big-headed ant, brown house-ant, coastal brown-ant, lion ant	Invasive in Australia and Florida. Native to southern Africa.
Phytophthora cinnamomi	fungus	Cinnamon fungus, green fruit rot, heart rot, phytophthora root rot, seedling blight, stem canker, wildflower dieback
Pinus pinaster	tree	Cluster pine, maritime pine	Invasive in South Africa. Native to the Mediterranean Basin.
Plasmodium relictum	protozoan	Avian malaria	Highly invasive in Hawaii.
Platydemus manokwari	flatworm	New Guinea flatworm, flatworm, snail-eating flatworm	Invasive in Pacific islands. Native to New Guinea.
Pomacea canaliculata	mollusc	Apple snail, channeled apple snail, golden apple snail, golden kuhol, miracle snail	Invasive in Southeast Asia and Hawaii. Rice crop pest. Native to South America.
Potamocorbula amurensis	mollusc	Amur river clam, Amur river corbula, Asian bivalve, Asian clam, brackish-water corbula, Chinese clam, marine clam
Prosopis glandulosa	tree	Honey mesquite, mesquite, Texas mesquite
Psidium cattleianum	shrub	Cattley guava, cherry guava, Chinese guava, purple strawberry guava, strawberry guava	Highly invasive in Mauritius and Hawaii. Native to Brazil.
Pueraria montana var. lobata	vine	Japanese arrowroot, kudzu, kudzu vine	Native to Southeast and East Asia. Invasive in several other parts of the world, especially the southeastern United States.
Pycnonotus cafer	bird	Red-vented bulbul	Invasive in many Pacific islands. Native to South and Southeast Asia
Lithobates catesbeianus	amphibian	Bullfrog, North American bullfrog, American bullfrog	Invasive in Central and South America, western Europe, and East Asia. Native to eastern North America.
Reynoutria japonica (syns. Fallopia japonica, Polygonum cuspidatum)	shrub	Crimson beauty, donkey rhubarb, fleeceflower, German sausage, Japanese bamboo, Japanese fleece flower, Japanese knotweed, Japanese polygonum, kontiki bamboo, Mexican-bamboo, peashooter plant, reynoutria fleece flower, sally rhubarb	Invasive in Europe and North America. Native to Japan.
Rattus rattus	mammal	Black rat, blue rat, bush rat, European house rat, roof rat, ship rat	Invasive worldwide.
Rubus ellipticus	shrub	Asian wild raspberry, broad-leafed bramble, Ceylon blackberry, golden evergreen raspberry, Molucca berry, Molucca bramble, Molucca raspberry, robust blackberry, wild blackberry, wild raspberry, yellow Himalayan raspberry	Invasive in Hawaii. Native to South Asia.
Salmo trutta	fish	Brown trout, blacktail, brook trout, galway sea trout, herling, lake trout, orange fin, orkney sea trout, salmon trout, sea trout, trout, whiting, whitling	Invasive worldwide. Native to Europe, Central Asia, and the Atlas Mountains of Africa.
Salvinia molesta	floating aquatic fern	Giant salvinia
Schinus terebinthifolius	tree	Brazilian holly, Brazilian pepper, Brazilian pepper tree, Christmas berry, Florida holly, Mexican pepper	Invasive in North America, Australia, the West Indies, Pacific Islands. Native to South America.
Sciurus carolinensis	mammal	Gray squirrel, grey squirrel, Eastern gray squirrel	Introduced to the British Isles, Italy, and South Africa. Native to eastern North America.
Solenopsis invicta	insect	Red imported fire ant, RIFA, Red Fire ant	Invasive in Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and the United States. Native to tropical South America.
Spartina anglica	grass	Common cord grass, rice grass, Townsend's grass, Rice cord grass
Spathodea campanulata	tree	African tulip tree, fireball, flame of the forest, fountain tree, Indian cedar, Santo Domingo mahogany	Invasive in Pacific Islands. Native to West Africa.
Sphagneticola trilobata	herb	Creeping ox-eye, Singapore daisy, trailing daisy	Invasive worldwide. Native to Central America.
Sturnus vulgaris	bird	Common starling, English starling, European starling	Native to Eurasia. Invasive in North America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Sus scrofa	mammal	Wild boar, razorback	Invasive worldwide.
Tamarix ramosissima	shrub	Salt cedar	Invasive in the western United States and northern Mexico. Native to Eurasia.
Trachemys scripta elegans	reptile	Red-eared slider, red-eared slider terrapin, slider turtle	Invasive in eastern Australia. Native to the eastern United States and northern Mexico.
Trichosurus vulpecula	mammal	Brushtail possum	Invasive species in New Zealand.
Trogoderma granarium	insect	Khapra beetle
Ulex europaeus	shrub	Gorse, Irish furze
Undaria pinnatifida	alga	Wakame, apron-ribbon vegetable, Asian kelp, Japanese kelp	Invasive in New Zealand, the United States, Western Europe, Argentina, Australia, and Mexico. Native to Japan.
Vespula vulgaris	insect	Common wasp, common yellowjacket, European Wasp	Invasive in New Zealand and Australia. Native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere (Palearctic).
Vulpes vulpes	mammal	Red fox, black or cross fox	Invasive in Australia. Native to the Northern Hemisphere.
Wasmannia auropunctata	insect	Cocoa tree-ant, electric ant, little fire ant, little introduced fire ant, little red fire ant, small fire ant, West Indian stinging ant	Invasive in the Pacific, the West Indies, and parts of Central Africa. Native to Central and South America.

Notes