Shovel-headed garden worm
Bipalium kewense
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Photo credit: Steve Wells
Bipalium kewense – Shovel-headed garden worm
Description:
Habitat:
Origin and Distribution:
Impacts:
Is it found in Northern Ireland?
How could it get here?
Prevent Spread
You can help by reporting any sightings:@ the Centre for Environmental Data & Recording (CEDaR) - Or via the iRecord App.
Current Legislation Position (Listed on 07 August 2025): This species must not intentionally be brought into the Union; kept; bred; transported to, from or within the United Kingdom, unless for the transportation to facilities in the context of eradication; placed on the market; used or exchanged; permitted to reproduce, grown or cultivated; or released into the environment.
For further queries, you can contact the Invasive Non Native Species (INNS) Team in the Northern Ireland Environment Agency on 028 9056 9558 or Email: invasivespecies@daera-ni.gov.uk
Bipalium kewense – Shovel-headed garden worm
Description:
- A terrestrial flatworm with a distinctive crescent-shaped head
- Long snake-like body reaching up to 30cm long
- Flattened body that is light brown in colour with 1-5 dark dorsal stripes
- Dark patch in the ‘neck’ region
- They excrete large amounts of mucus to move along
Habitat:
- Found in damp, cool spots in gardens, under stones, logs, leaf litter and mulch
Origin and Distribution:
- Native to Southeast Asia
- Now present on every continent aside from Antarctica
- First recorded in Kew Gardens in 1878
Impacts:
- Predates on native earthworm species, impacting soil health and nutrient cycling
- May carry parasitic nematodes
- They produce a neurotoxin to kill their prey, which, while not considered lethal to humans, can cause skin irritation
Is it found in Northern Ireland?
- No, but is it established in Great Britain
How could it get here?
- Primarily introduced to new regions accidentally via the global trade and movement of horticultural plants, soil, mulch, and related nursery materials.
Prevent Spread
- Report all sightings
- Do not bring this species into Northern Ireland
- Inspect incoming consignments of plants
- Don't accept plants from areas where this flatworm is present, as this can aid their spread
- Maintain good garden hygiene
- Inspect your site for flatworms
- Destroy immediately if you detect them (see flatworm control)
You can help by reporting any sightings:@ the Centre for Environmental Data & Recording (CEDaR) - Or via the iRecord App.
Current Legislation Position (Listed on 07 August 2025): This species must not intentionally be brought into the Union; kept; bred; transported to, from or within the United Kingdom, unless for the transportation to facilities in the context of eradication; placed on the market; used or exchanged; permitted to reproduce, grown or cultivated; or released into the environment.
For further queries, you can contact the Invasive Non Native Species (INNS) Team in the Northern Ireland Environment Agency on 028 9056 9558 or Email: invasivespecies@daera-ni.gov.uk