dc.description.abstract
The Cactaceae, and especially its most emblematic genus, Opuntia, is one of the groups of
plants with greater invasion potential in the Iberian Peninsula. One of the most recently detected
species is Opuntia aurantiaca, a small cactus with an enormous capacity of dispersion.
Probably native to Argentina and Uruguay, it behaves as a very aggressive invader in Australia
and South Africa. In Europe, it only occurs on the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula
(Catalonia and Valencian Community). In this study, the geographic range of the species is
accurately delineated at the peninsular level. Detected firstly at the beginning of the last decade
in Navajas (Castelló Province), it has been subsequently observed in other places of Castelló,
but also in Valencia, Tarragona and Barcelona, and since 2017 in Girona. With all gathered
occurrence data, the potential distribution of O. aurantiaca is estimated (for the current climatic
conditions as well as for different scenarios of global warming). Despite the fact that the species
seems to be spreading, maps of potential distribution do not forecast large expansions to other
areas of the Iberian Peninsula, both for the present and for the year 2070.
Key words: alien flora, niche modelling, Spain.
