FIRST REVIEW OF ALIEN INVERTEBRATES INTRODUCTION AND THEIR INVASIVE STATUS IN ROMANIA

Invasive species are plants, animals or microorganisms not native to an ecosystem, whose introduction threatens biodiversity, food security, health or economic development. This is the actually well accepted definition about such kind of species given by the international instrument of IUCN (International Union for Conservation Nature) called Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP). The paper is the result of personal observations in the specific agro- and natural ecosystems (orchards, vineyards plantations and field crops) and of intensive investigations in the greenhouses and, also from an elaborate study of the literature concerning of the invasive and non-invasive alien species introduced in Romania. The data is referring to 100 species of invertebrates belonging to Nematoda (Tylenchida and Dorylaimida), Acarina (Eriophyiidae, Bryobiidae, Phytoptipalpidae, and Tarsonemidae) and Insecta (Orthoptera, Blattaria, Thysanoptera, Homoptera, Heteroptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and Diptera). Among the species listed, 88 are important pests and 11 are beneficial species introduced for biological control and for other economic purposes. The most numerous alien species introduced in Romania are from Homoptera and Coleoptera, many of them being pest species on ornamental and vegetables hosts in the greenhouses.