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Sidebar first - Biosecurity

  • Environmental biosecurity
    • Managing Environmental Biosecurity
      • How we engage
      • First Nations
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    • How the system works
    • Exotic environmental pests
      • The Environmental Biosecurity Project Fund
      • Priority list of exotic pests, weeds and diseases
        • Technical information about the Exotic Environmental Pest List
        • Higher-risk exotic environmental pests

The National Priority List of Exotic Environmental Pests, Weeds and Diseases

Invasive species are a key threat to Australia’s biodiversity. They are damaging to Australia’s unique ecosystems, as well as to the agriculture sector. The highest-risk exotic invasive species have been identified and compiled into the Australia’s Exotic Environmental Pest List (EEPL). 

The Exotic Environmental Pest List 

Exotic environmental pests, diseases and weeds are those not established in Australia. If these species become established, they could cause significant damage to our environment including our unique native plants, animals and First Nations heritage sites. 

In November 2020, the department released the National Priority List of Exotic Environmental Pests, Weeds and Diseases. This is also called the Exotic Environmental Pest List. The list contains 168 exotic species, categorised into 8 biological groups.

  • Aquatic animal diseases
  • Freshwater invertebrates
  • Marine pests
  • Native animal diseases (wildlife diseases)
  • Plant diseases
  • Terrestrial invertebrates
  • Vertebrates
  • Weeds and freshwater algae
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Higher Risk Exotic Environmental Pests

Each biological group on the EEPL contains 17-24 entries. Each entry is either a single species, a genus, or a small set of closely related species. The 5-6 entries in each group with the highest biosecurity risk are included in a list of 42 species called the ‘higher-risk EEPL’.

Explore these species in detail

Complete Exotic Environmental Pest List

The National Priority List of Exotic Environmental Pests, Weeds and Diseases is listed alphabetically per thematic group. To search for a specific pest, select ‘show all’ before using your search function.

Common Name(s)Species Name
*BonamiosisBonamia ostreae
*Crayfish plagueAphanomyces astaci
Grouper iridoviral diseaseSingapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) and Grouper iridovirus (GIV) (genus Ranavirus)
Infectious hematopoietic necrosisInfectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) (genus Rhabdovirus)
Infectious myonecrosisInfectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV) (genus Totivirus)
Infectious pancreatic necrosisInfectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) (genus Aquabirnavirus)
Marteiliosis (Aber disease)Marteilia refringens
*MegalocytivirusInfectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) and Red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV) (genus Megalocytivirus)
Mikrocytosis (Denman Island disease)Mikrocytos mackini
Necrotising hepatopancreatitis‘Candidatus Hepatobacter penaei’
Perkinsosis (Dermo disease)Perkinsus marinus
Protozoic whirling diseaseMyxobolus cerebralis / Microsporidium takedai
Taura syndromeTaura syndrome virus (TSV) (genus Aparavirus)
Viral haemorrhagic septicaemiaViral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) (genus Novirhabdovirus)
*White spot syndromeWhite spot syndrome virus (WSSV) (genus Whispovirus)
Withering syndrome (of abalones)‘Candidatus Xenohaliotis californiensis’
*Yellow head diseaseYellow head virus genotype-1 (YHV1) (genus Okavirus)

* indicates a higher risk species.

Common Name(s)Species Name
*Asian clamCorbicula fluminea
Assassin snailClea / Anentome spp.
Bloody-red mysid shrimpHemimysis anomala
Chinese mitten crabEriocheir sinensis
*Chinese mystery snail and Japanese mystery snailCipangopaludina chinensis and C. japonica
Danube crayfish / Turkish crayfishAstacus leptodactylus
Freshwater musselCristaria plicata
Freshwater snails Biomphalaria genusBiomphalaria spp. 
Freshwater snails Bulinus genusBulinus spp.
Freshwater snails Oncomelania genusOncomelania spp.
*Golden apple snail and Island apple snailPomacea canaliculata and P. maculata
Golden musselLimnoperna fortunei
Horn snailIndoplanorbis exustus
Land snails Radix genusExotic Radix spp.
Louisiana red crayfish / Red swamp crayfishProcambarus clarkii
Mud snailGalba truncatula
Northern crayfish / Virile crayfishOrconectes virilis
*Quagga mussel and Zebra musselDreissena bugensis and D. polymorpha
*Quilted melaniaTarebia granifera
Rusty crayfishOrconectes rusticus
Serrate crownsnailPyrgophorus platyrachis
Signal crayfishPacifastacus leniusculus
Spinycheek crayfish      Orconectes limosus

* indicates a higher risk species.

Common Name(s)Species Name
Asian brackish-water clam / Overbite clamPotamocorbula amurensis
*Asian green musselPerna viridis
Atlantic oyster drillUrosalpinx cinerea
*Black-striped false musselMytilopsis sallei
Brown musselPerna perna
Brush-clawed shore crabHemigrapsus takanoi
*Carpet sea squirtDidemnum vexillum
Centric diatomChaetoceros concavicornis
*Chinese mitten crabEriocheir sinensis
Comb jellyMnemiopsis leidyi
Harris’ mud crabRhithropanopeus harrisi
Japanese shore crabHemigrapsus sanguineus
Japanese skeleton shrimpCaprella mutica
Japanese wireweedSargassum muticum
*Lady crab / Asian paddle crabCharybdis japonica
New Zealand green-lipped musselPerna canaliculus
Rapa whelkRapana venosa
Red-gilled mudwormMarenzelleria neglecta
Soft shelled clamMya arenaria
Toxic dinoflagellateDinophysis norvegica

* indicates a higher risk species.

Common Name(s)Species Name
Avian paramyxovirus-3 (PMV3) and Avian paramyxovirus-5 (PMV5)Avian paramyxovirus-3 (PMV3) and Avian paramyxovirus-5 (PMV5)
Bubonic plagueYersinia pestis
Exotic novel nidovirus strains in reptilesExotic novel coronavirus, including python nidovirus (order Nidovirales, family Coronaviridae)
Deformed wing virus in beesDeformed wing virus (DWV) (family Iflaviridae)
*Duck viral enteritis / duck plagueAnatid herpesvirus-1
Exotic Flaviviruses (Bagaza and Usutu)Exotic Flaviviruses – Bagaza virus and Usutu virus
Exotic novel herpesviruses of reptilesFamily Herpesviridae, subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae
Exotic highly pathogenic avian influenzaExotic Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAI)
Ophidian paramyxovirus (OPMV) / Fer-de-lance virus - infection of snakesSubfamily Paramyxovirinae, genus Ferlavirus
*Pacheco’s disease and internal papillomatosis diseasePsittacid alphaherpesvirus-1 (PsHV-1)
Phocine distemperPhocine distemper virus (PDV) (genus Morbillivirus)
*Proventricular dilatation diseaseParrot bornavirus (PaBV)
Psittacine pox virusPsittacine pox virus (PsPoV) (genus Avipoxvirus)
Rabies virusRabies virus / Rabies lyssavirus (genus Lyssavirus)
Screwworm flyChrysomya bezziana and Cochliomyia hominivorax
Severe Perkinsea infection in frogsPathogenic Perkinsea clade of frogs
Snake fungal diseaseOphidiomyces ophiodiicola
SurraTrypanosoma evansi
*West Nile virus infectionExotic West Nile virus lineages - other than 1b (WNV Kunjin)
*White nose syndrome (of bats)Pseudogymnoascus destructans

* indicates a higher risk species.

Common Name(s)Species Name
Annosus root and butt rotHeterobasidion annosum
Armillaria root rotArmillaria mellea
Blood disease of banana and clove wiltRalstonia syzygii
*Ceratocystis wiltCeratocystis manginecans
Ceratocystis wiltCeratocystis albifundus
Chestnut blightCryphonectria parasitica
Chrysoporthe canker / Eucalyptus cankerChrysoporthe austroafricana
Coconut lethal yellowing‘Candidatus phytoplasma palmae’
Dutch elm diseaseOphiostoma ulmi sensu lato
Elm yellows / Elm phloem necrosis‘Candidatus phytoplasma ulmi’
*Fusarium wiltFusarium euwallaceae
Huanglongbing / Citrus greening‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’, ‘Candidatus Liberibacter africanus’ and ‘Candidatus Liberibacter americanus’
*Myrtle rust (exotic strains)Austropuccinia psidii – exotic strains
Oak wiltCeratocystis fagacearum
Phytophthora blightPhytophthora kernoviae
*Sudden oak death / Ramorum blightPhytophthora ramorum
Teratosphaeria cankerTeratosphaeria gauchensis
*Teratosphaeria leaf blightTeratosphaeria destructans
Teratosphaeria stem cankerTeratosphaeria zuluensis
Texas root rotPhymatotrichopsis omnivora
*XylellaXylella fastidiosa

* indicates a higher risk species.

Terrestrial Invertebrates

Common Name(s)Species Name
Africanised honeybeeApis mellifera scutellata and its hybrids
Annona mealybug / Pineapple mealybugDysmicoccus neobrevipes
Asian / Yellow-legged hornetVespa velutina
Asian bee miteTropilaelaps clareae
Asian bee miteTropilaelaps mercedesae
*Asian spongy mothLymantria dispar (Lymantria dispar asiatica, Lymantria dispar japonica and Lymantria dispar dispar)
Brown marmorated stink bugHalyomorpha halys
Cape honeybeeApis mellifera capensis
Common eastern bumblebeeBombus impatiens
Cycad aulacaspis scaleAulacaspis yasumatsui
Delta waspDelta pyriforme
Dichroplus grasshopperDichroplus elongatus and D. maculipennis
*Electric antWasmannia auropunctata
*Formosan subterranean termiteCoptotermes formosanus
*Giant African snailAchatina fulica
Gold dust weevilHypomeces squamosus
*Harlequin lady beetle/ Multicolored Asian lady beetleHarmonia axyridis
Honey bee tracheal miteAcarapis woodi
Oriental powderpost beetleLyctoxylon dentatum
Picnic beetleGlischrochilus fasciatus and G. quadrisignatus
*Red imported fire antSolenopsis invicta
Rosy predator snailEuglandina rosea
Shot hole borerEuwallacea fornicatus complex
Western drywood termiteIncisitermes minor

* indicates a higher risk species.

Vertebrates

Common Name(s)Species Name
African pygmy hedgehogAtelerix albiventris
*Asian black-spined toadDuttaphrynus melanostictus
Asian painted frogKaloula pulchra
*Boa constrictorBoa constrictor
Burmese pythonPython bivittatus
Chinese carpCtenopharyngodon idella
*Climbing perchAnabas testudineus
Common snapping turtleChelydra serpentina
*Corn snakePantherophis guttatus
Fire bellied newtCynops orientalis
Flat-tailed house geckoHemidactylus platyurus
Green iguanaIguana iguana
Grey squirrelSciurus carolinensis
House crowCorvus splendens
Nile tilapiaOreochromis niloticus
Oriental garden lizardCalotes versicolor
Pacific ratRattus exulans
*Red-eared slider turtleTrachemys scripta elegans
*Silver carpHypophthalmichthys molitrix
SnakeheadsChanna spp. (including Channa striata)
StoatMustela erminea
Veiled chameleonChamaeleo calyptratus
Walking catfishClarias batrachus

* indicates a higher risk species.

Common Name(s)Species Name
Asiatic sand sedgeCarex kobomugi
Black sageCordia curassavica
Black swallow-wortVincetoxicum nigrum
Brittle naiadNajas minor
Cane tibouchinaTibouchina herbacea
*DidymoDidymosphenia geminata
HalogetonHalogeton glomeratus
Karoo thornVachellia karoo
LagariosiphonLagarosiphon major
Leafy spurgeEuphorbia esula
*Manchurian wildriceZizania latifolia
*MikaniaMikania micrantha
*Mouse-ear hawkweedPilosella officinarum
Nepalese browntopMicrostegium vimineum
Portuguese broomCytisus striatus
SlangbosSeriphium plumosum
South African ragwortSenecio inaequidens
*Spiked pepperPiper aduncum
Water primroseLudwigia grandiflora
WiregrassVentenata dubia

* indicates a higher risk species.

For more information

  • Read the technical information about the development of the EEPL including criteria
  • Contact the Environmental Biosecurity office on acebo@aff.gov.au

Report an exotic environmental pest

You can report an exotic environmental pest at Outbreak.gov.au.

This site also contains up-to-date information on current biosecurity outbreaks.

General enquiries

Call 1800 900 090

Contact us online

Report a biosecurity concern

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Page last updated: 07 January 2025

We acknowledge the continuous connection of First Nations Traditional Owners and Custodians to the lands, seas and waters of Australia. We recognise their care for and cultivation of Country. We pay respect to Elders past and present, and recognise their knowledge and contribution to the productivity, innovation and sustainability of Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries.

Artwork: Protecting our Country, Growing our Future
© Amy Allerton, contemporary Aboriginal Artist of the Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Gamilaroi nations.

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