Werenkraut, Victoria ， Baudino, Florencia ， Roy, Helen E.
2020-10-01 BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS 2020 22(卷), 10(期), (2915-2921页)
The harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) was introduced in numerous countries around the world as a biological control agent but nowadays it is considered as a pest itself. It is a highly invasive species that has negative impacts on native biodiversity, may affect some crops, and causes a nuisance to humans. Despite its relevance worldwide, the invasion byH. axyridisin South America has received little attention. Here we used a citizen science approach to study the distribution ofH. axyridisin Argentina where the species was intentionally introduced in 1986. We also informally tested and evaluated the preferences for different methods for reporting records: iNaturalist website, Google form, email, WhatsApp, and Facebook. Most records were reported through WhatsApp and iNaturalist. We found thatH. axyridisis widely distributed in Argentina but there are large gaps, particularly in arid regions. The invasion seems to be recent in the south of the country. Citizen science is a valuable tool for mapping invasive alien species in a large country like Argentina, and will help to monitor the continuous expansion ofH. axyridis.