Check List 15(3): 497-507, doi: 10.15560/15.3.497
Limpkin, Aramus guarauna (L., 1766) (Gruiformes, Aramidae), extralimital breeding in Louisiana is associated with availability of the invasive Giant Apple Snail, Pomacea maculata Perry, 1810 (Caenogastropoda, Ampullariidae)
expand article infoRobert C. Dobbs, Jacoby Carter, Jessica L. Schulz
‡ U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Lafayette, United States of America
Open Access
Abstract

We document the first breeding record of Limpkin, Aramus guarauna (Linnaeus, 1766) (Gruiformes, Aramidae), for Louisiana, describe an additional unpublished breeding record from Georgia, as well as a possible record from Alabama, and associate these patterns with the concurrent establishment of the invasive Giant Apple Snail, Pomacea maculata Perry, 1810 (Caenogastropoda, Ampullariidae). We predict that an invasive prey species may facilitate range expansion by native predator species, which has ramifications for conservation and management.

Keywords
Biological control, invasive species, predator-prey relationship, range expansion, species distribution