INVASION NOTE DNA-barcoding of invasive European earthworms (Clitellata: Lumbricidae) in south-western Australia Svante Martinsson . Yongde Cui . Patrick J. Martin . Adrian Pinder . Kirsty Quinlan . Mark J. Wetzel . Christer Erse ´us Received: 8 August 2014 / Accepted: 22 May 2015 / Published online: 31 May 2015 Ó Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 Abstract Using DNA-barcoding, we studied the diversity of invasive European earthworms in the south-western corner of Australia. We found six Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units belonging to five morphospecies: Aporrectodea caliginosa, A. trapezoides, Dendrobaena cf. attemsi, Eiseniella tetraedra and Octolasion cyaneum. These were variously collected from indigenous forests and/or alienated land. Two cryptic lineages were found within A. trapezoides, and high intraspecific genetic variation was also found within E. tetraedra— variation that had previously been documented in Europe. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of DNA-barcoding for the identification of earthworms, including cryptic species. Correct identification and high taxonomic resolution is crucial for the monitoring of cryptic diversity, detecting new introductions and monitoring spread of established exotic earthworms. Keywords Oligochaeta Á Annelida Á Crassiclitellata Á Cryptic species Á COI Á mt-DNA Introduction Introduced earthworms (Annelida: Clitellata: Crassi- clitellata) are today found on all continents except Antarctica (Hendrix et al. 2008), and they can have major effects on soil processes and plant communities when introduced to non-native areas (Hale et al. 2005). S. Martinsson (&) Á C. Erse ´us Systematics and Biodiversity, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 463, 405 30 Go ¨teborg, Sweden e-mail: svante.martinsson@bioenv.gu.se C. Erse ´us e-mail: christer.erseus@bioenv.gu.se Y. Cui Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China e-mail: ydcui@ihb.ac.cn P. J. Martin Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 29 Rue Vautier, 1000 Brussels, Belgium e-mail: patrick.martin@naturalsciences.be A. Pinder Á K. Quinlan Department of Parks and Wildlife, 17 Dick Perry Avenue, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia e-mail: adrian.pinder@dpaw.wa.gov.au K. Quinlan e-mail: kirsty.quinlan@dpaw.wa.gov.au M. J. Wetzel Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1816 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL 61820, USA e-mail: mjwetzel@illinois.edu 123 Biol Invasions (2015) 17:2527–2532 DOI 10.1007/s10530-015-0910-7