Yeping Han

Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, China
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 2022, Vol. 12, No. 1   doi: 10.5376/ijmec.2022.12.0001
Received: 27 Aug., 2022    Accepted: 28 Aug., 2022    Published: 31 Aug., 2022

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Han Y.P., 2022, The invasion of the alien species alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) all over China, International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 12(1): 1-6 (doi: 10.5376/ijmec.2022.12.0001)

This study elucidated the origin of the alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) by investigating the traces of the alligator gars in various waters in different provinces and cities of China. Alligator gars originally entered China through ornamental fish trade (illegal smuggling). They are abandoned by people probably because it is difficult to raise them, or released by people out of "goodwill". Therefore, the invasion sites of alligator gars are mainly concentrated in the waters of the residential districts and the lakes of the parks. The invasion of alligator gars has brought potential threats to the aquatic ecosystem in China. Through reading the literature and regulations, this study found that alligator gars are not included in the list of alien invasive species at present. However, according to the overwintering ability and damage degree of alligator gars, some experts have suggested that it should be included in the list of alien invasive species. This study also put forward its own views on the proper treatment of the alien species alligator gars.

Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula); Alien species