Alientoma, a Dynamic Database for Alien Insects in Greece and Its Use by Citizen Scientists in Mapping Alien Species

Abstract

Invasive alien species have been increasingly acknowledged as a major threat to native biodiversity and ecosystem services, while their adverse impacts expand to human health, society and the economy on a global scale. Insects represent one of the most numerous alien organismic groups, accounting for about one fifth of their total number. In Greece, a large number of alien insects have been identified, currently reaching 469 species. In recent decades, the contribution of citizen science towards detecting and mapping the distribution of alien insects has been steeply increasing. Addressing the need for up-to-date information on alien species as well as encouraging public participation in scientific research, the Alientoma website—derived from “alien” and the Greek word “entoma”, meaning insects, is presented. The website aims towards providing updated information on alien species of insects to the public as well as the scientific community, raising awareness about biological invasions and addressing their distribution and impacts inter alia. By maintaining a dynamic online database alongside a strong social media presence since its launch, Alientoma has attracted individuals mainly from Greece and Cyprus, interacting with the website through a total of 1512 sessions. Alientoma intends to establish a constantly increasing network of citizen scientists and to supplement early detection, monitoring and management efforts to mitigate the adverse impacts of alien insects in Greece.

Incursion Preparedness, Citizen Science and Early Detection of Invasive Insects: The Case of Aleurocanthus spiniferus (Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae) in France

“…In recent years, citizen science significantly contributed to monitoring the expansion of different alien insect pests such as the oak processionary moth Thaumetopoea processionea [10] or the brown marmorated stinkbug Halyomorpha halys [11]. They are at the center of innovative projects such as Alientoma, an internet site offering a dynamic checklist and database of alien insect species in Greece [12].…”

Alien Freshwater Turtles in Greece: Citizen Science Reveals the Hydra-Headed Issue of the Pet Turtle Trade

“…Citizen science, i.e., public participation in research, is emerging as a powerful tool for biological invasion surveillance, which might revolutionize our ability to handle IAS in the early stages of the invasion. In Greece, data provided by citizen scientists have aided research endeavors in intercepting alien species at the onset of their invasion or mapping their spread [16][17][18]. Even though the validity and taxonomic accuracy of photographic data provided by citizen scientists can sometimes be of question [19][20][21], the distinctive morphological features of alien species can be used to distinguish them from their native counterparts [22,23].…”

First occurrence of the black field earwig, Nala lividipes (Dermaptera: Labiduridae) in Greece

“…In this publication, the black field earwig N. lividipes is reported for Greece for the first time. Online educational material regarding the taxonomy, distribution, morphology, ecology and impacts of N. lividipes was uploaded to the Alientoma webpage and social media platform (Kalaentzis et al 2021a), in order to investigate the presence of further photographic observations.…”