ArticlePeerJ2026
Cats, dogs, and sticky worms: invasion by land flatworms (Geoplanidae) is facilitated by household pets.
Article in PeerJ, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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Abstract
Background: It is well known that the main vector of invasion by land flatworms has been the export of potted plants from their countries of origin to the invaded country. Within the invaded country, transport to garden centres where the plants are sold, and transport to the buyer's garden, are also carried out by humans. However, it is less clear how flatworms can then invade neighbouring gardens, given their slow movement rates. Methods: We re-examined citizen science reports in metropolitan France received over more than 12 years (2013-2025), searching the 6500 original emails for keywords suggesting transport by pets. Results: We found 15 citizen science observations of cats (13) or dogs (2) with flatworms stuck to their fur. Surprisingly, all reports concerned the species Discussion: We suspect that transport by domestic animals is a significant factor favouring invasion by Conclusions: We believe that animal transport is a significant factor favouring land flatworm invasion, but that this does not apply to all species. A citizen science initiative could provide a better understanding of the extent and importance of animal transport as a factor for land flatworm invasions in other countries.
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