Platydemus manokwari, also known as the New Guinea flatworm, is a species of large predatoryland flatworm.
Native to New Guinea, it has been accidentally introduced to the soil of many countries, including the United States.[3] It was also deliberately introduced into two Pacific islands in an attempt to control an invasion of the giant African land snail.[citation needed] It eats a variety of invertebrates including land snails, and has had a significant negative impact on the rare endemicland snail fauna of some Pacific islands.[4] It has become established in a wide variety of habitats.
"There is some variation in the literature about the date of description of P. manokwari, 1962 or 1963. We carefully examined the original publication. The paper was presented at a meeting in December 1962 and is included in the volume dated 1962, but the actual date of publication was April 18, 1963. In accord with Article 21.1 (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, 1999), the date of the taxon is 1963. The bibliographical date of the publication remains 1962, but the taxon is Platydemus manokwari de Beauchamp, 1963."