Limpkin, aramus guarauna (L., 1766) (gruiformes, aramidae), extralimital breeding in louisiana is associated with availability of the invasive giant apple snail, pomacea maculata perry, 1810 (caenogastropoda, ampullariidae)

Abstract

We document the first breeding record of Limpkin, Aramus guarauna (Linnaeus, 1766) (Gruiformes, Aramidae),for Louisiana, describe an additional unpublished breeding record from Georgia, as well as a possible record fromAlabama, and associate these patterns with the concurrent establishment of the invasive Giant Apple Snail, Pomaceamaculata Perry, 1810 (Caenogastropoda, Ampullariidae). We predict that an invasive prey species may facilitate rangeexpansion by native predator species, which has ramifications for conservation and management.