Belgian National Scientific Secretariat on Invasive Alien Species : FlatwormWatch

FlatwormWatch aims to elucidate which species of non-native terrestrial flatworms are already present in Belgium with the help of citizens. Non-native flatworms can have a large impact on biodiversity as they are voracious predators. As a participant of the project you will actively look for this hidden species group in different places such as you garden or greenhouse. We would like to thank you in advance to help us map this group of animals and protect our native soil fauna!

Note that the supporting material for this project was only developed in Dutch and French.

You can visit the FlatwormWatch page in Dutch or in French for a better experience

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Fill the online form, if you want to stay updated on the results or participate to a training session
Read our Guide for FlatwormWatchers to:
- Get some tips and tricks on how to find them
- Get acquainted with the potential species you could potentially come across
Go on a flatworm search in your garden, greenhouse, recently acquired potted plants or terrarium
Spotted a flatworm? Take a few pictures of the animal and encode your observations on waarnemingen.be via the links hereunder
Spotted nothing? Try again another time, flatworms can be very shy

USEFUL TOOLS

Guide for FlatwormWatchers (FR) Identification key (FR)

Guide for FlatwormWatchers (NL) Identification key (NL)

Encode your observations

If you have spotted a flatworm - and made sure it was not an earthworm or a slug - you can encode it directly via the species pages hereunder. You can enter your observation as Unknown flatworm or identify the flatworm yourself using this key and categorize your observation under the correct species. When entering your observation, attach a photo and fill in the required fields to give more details on your observation (appearance of the flatworm, description of the location where it was found).

By encoding your observations you agree with our privacy policy