Looking like a cross between a slimy slug and a flattened snake, the New Guinea flatworm has a renowned hunger for snails and the ability to live in just about any environment. In the past few decades, it has spread out of its native New Guinea to islands throughout the Pacific and as far away as France. It has now been discovered in mainland United States, in several gardens in Miami. 
 
 A study published Tuesday in the journal PeerJ shows that the odious worm has also made its way to Puerto Rico, Singapore, several New Caledonian islands and the Solomon Islands. 
 
 That’s a major concern, as it is considered one of the world’s worst invasive species, says study author Jean-Lou Justine, a researcher at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. (In fact, the Invasive Species Specialist Group, a global network of scientific and policy experts, has placed the worm on their 100 worst invasive species list.) 
 
 Claire Goiran 
 
 Researchers from around the world reported findings of flatworms in the new areas, after which they sent photographs and DNA samples to Justine in Paris for his confirmation. 
 
 The flatworm (Platydemus manokwari) has few natural predators outside of New Guinea, and it likely will have no predators in the United States, Justine says. It gobbles up soil-dwelling invertebrates like snails, which could have a big impact on the environment. 
 
 “It will not make differences between abundant common species and rare endemic snails,” Justine says. “In that, it is a significant potential threat to all [native] snail species.” This could ripple up the food chain to affect creatures that eat snails, like birds. It could have impacts in the other direction of the food chain as well: The plants that snails eat, like certain weeds, might spread and become overgrown. 
 
 In New Guinea, the worm is found in high-elevation areas where temperatures occasionally dip below freezing, but not in colder areas. That means it isn’t likely to spread into the extreme northern U.S. or Canada. It also isn’t likely to end up in the deserts or in rockier mountain areas, since it prefers areas with soil and plants. However, it could probably find itself at home just about anywhere else in the Americas. 
 
 Previously, the flatworm was mostly found on islands, where its spread is limited by factors including “customs and quarantines, and simply by the fact that merchandises are transported only by boats or planes,” Justine says. The flatworms in Florida face no such limitations. 
 
 Pierre Gros In fact, it has probably already spread to many gardens in Miami, since these “are often attended by professionals with many clients. Movements of the flatworm from garden to garden together with soil, compost, rooted plants, potted plants and garden waste will certainly disseminate the invasive species,” Justine adds. 
 
 Once they are in an area, it is very difficult to halt their spread, since they are small—2 inches long—and live in the soil. 
 
 Justine recommends not touching them. “Land planarians,” a family of flatworms that includes the New Guinea variety, “produce dangerous chemicals and release them with their mucus, which is a protection against possible predators,” he says. “These chemical substances can be toxic and could induce allergic reactions.” 

 CAPE CORAL, Fla. - A potentially deadly worm found in Cape Coral Thursday is raising concerns about how it got here and how to keep them out. 
 
 It's an invasive species called the New Guinea flatworm and was discovered last year in Miami, now local and state officials are investigating. 
 
 It was big news last year when these worms were found in Miami, now we're learning they were also spotted in Cape Coral last September, we just didn't know. 
 
 Now a Cape resident has found some of those worms in a flower pot and that has officials launching a serious investigation. 
 
 Fox 4 showed photos of the worms to Roy Beckford, an agriculture agent in Lee County who works with the University of Florida. "They're a dark worm with a dorsal orange stripe down the center of their back," says Beckford. 
 
 The worms may look harmless, but mix in a rat or two and a person could be affected by a deadly disease affecting the brain and spinal cord. That's why officials need your help finding them. 
 
 Beckford tells us state officials "have a phone number that one can call to report this problem and they'll send an agent to actually deal with that. This is very serious, this is very serious.” 
 
 He tells us the New Guinea flatworms originate in that South Pacific island. They're likely shipped to Miami, hidden with the plants and tropical fruits. 
 
 The worm infects rats and that's when it can be passed on to humans, potentially causing meningitis and other horrible diseases. "If you have long worms basically you start this horrible coughing. It's a parasite in your lungs that needs to be treated," says Beckford. 
 
 And if you ever see one of these worms don't touch it. “It can actually cause problems on your skin because it actually vomits up this caustic substance than can cause problems." 
 
 But the biggest threat these flat worms pose is to the eco-system. Since they have no natural predators they multiply and destroy everything from snails and lizards to native trees and vegetation. 
 
 "Bear in mind we're not just talking about trees, we're talking about shrubs and other plants that grow in our environments here." 
 
 Beckford says the worms could potentially wipe out other native species. 
 
 If you see these worms, take photos, then contact FWC at 888-IVE-GOT1. 
 
 You can them kill the worms by pouring boiling water on them.
– You may think you can avoid coming into contact with the New Guinea flatworm by simply not visiting New Guinea, but the critter is closer to home than you might guess. Per the Palm Beach Post, the potentially deadly parasite is proliferating throughout South Florida, slithering from where it was first spotted in Miami all the way over to Cape Coral on the southwest coast. It's a cause for concern, since once a rat eats one of these invasive invertebrates—dark worms with a thin orange stripe down their back, Lee County agricultural expert Roy Beckford tells WFTX—the rodent can then pass on a slew of spinal, lung, and brain diseases, including meningitis, to humans. Even if residents live in relatively rat-free areas, the worm is still a hazard: Beckford explains that those who touch it can suffer skin problems "because it actually vomits up this caustic substance." "This is very serious," he notes. Indigenous to the South Pacific, the flatworms likely showed up first in the Miami area last year with shipments of tropical fruit and plants. It's now believed that they've been in the Cape Coral area since September, though no one knew what they were. The New Guinea flatworms, with no natural predators to take them out, are also a menace to the environment, capable of causing damage to local flora and other small fauna like snails. Although the worms can reportedly be killed by dousing them with boiling water, Beckford says residents who spot one should take a photo and contact the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 888-IVE-GOT1. (A parasite in cat poop could make you rage.)