Snails, one of France's signature dishes, could be off the menu if the country fails to stem an invasion by a slimy worm from south-east Asia, scientists have said, reports The Guardian.
The warning is being sounded over a voracious species called the New Guinea flatworm. It is already on a list of the 100 most dangerous invasive species in the world as it has a relentless appetite for native snails and earthworms in places where it has been introduced.
Workers at a botanical gardens in Caen, Normandy, called in scientific help after they spotted a strange, dark and nearly flat worm among their greenhouse plants.
Reporting in the journal PeerJ on Tuesday, a team of French experts said DNA tests had confirmed their worst fears: Platydemus manokwari has arrived in Europe.
"This species is extraordinarily invasive," said Jean-Lou Justine of the National Museum of Natural History. "I really hope it can be stopped at the earliest stages."
He added: "All snails in Europe could be wiped out. It may seem ironic, but it's worth pointing out the effect that this will have on French cooking."
New Guinea flatworms measure about 5cm long by 5mm wide. They have black backs and pale underbellies, where the mouth is located. Their heads are elongated and they have two prominent black eyes.
The species has been introduced, sometimes deliberately, in more than 15 countries and territories in the Pacific.
Biologists are alarmed by its appetite for snails. The worm can even pursue gastropods up tree trunks – and when supplies of snails run out, it can tuck into other soil species, including earthworms.
The worm's ancestral habitat is the mountains of New Guinea, at altitudes of 3,000m and above. Tests have shown the worm can survive in temperatures down to 10C, which gives it a good chance of surviving in temperate, snail-friendly parts of Europe.
Read more of this AFP report published by The Guardian.