NEW INVASIVE SPECIES IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA: GAMBIAN RAT (CRICETOMYS GAMBIANUS)

On 17 August 2004, 5 Gambian rats (Cricetomys gambianus; 2 males and 3 females) were collected on Grassy Key, Florida. Evidence obtained from this collection confirms the existence of the 1st North American established and reproducing Cricetomys population. This invasive rodent population could represent a new series of ecological threats to the native and endemic flora and fauna of southern Florida.