Aptly named - from Russia Today:
Flesh-eating ‘Obama worm’ invading Europe through Spain, threatens local ecosystem
A 7cm-long flatworm with hundreds of eyes along the length of its body has been accidentally imported from South America and is now threatening soil quality and local wildlife in Spain, with possibly more drastic consequences.
The Obama flatworm (Obama nungara) has been spotted thriving in the rice paddies of the Parc Natural de L’Albufera in Valencia. Conservationist group SEO/Birdlife raised the alarm earlier this week.
The name is a coincidence but...
The parasite, which is named after the Brazilian Tupi words for leaf (oba) and animal (ma) rather than the former US president, threatens to decimate the native earthworm population and, in doing so, disrupt the health and fertility of local soil, which will spark a domino effect for the entire regional food chain.
Nasty pest - bitter so birds do not eat it. It eats earthworms and other beneficials and has no known predator.
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