Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys have gained popularity as a highly sensitive detection tool that generally outperform traditional detection techniques. eDNA surveys can provide a cost-effective means to identify species’ distributions and recent incursions, informing the control or containment of invasive species. The red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans, is one of the world’s most invasive species and is listed as a priority pest species for management in Australia. In this study, we validate two eDNA assays to detect this invasive turtle in Australia. We demonstrate high sensitivity in a laboratory setting and perfect detection rates in mesocosms for one of these eDNA assays but show that this does not translate to high detection rates in urban waterbodies at sites of known occupancy. In fact, our results suggest eDNA surveys provide sub-optimal performance compared to traditional detection methods for T.s. elegans. We suggest the capacity for eDNA surveys to provide a highly sensitive detection tool must be evaluated in natural environments on a species-by-species basis to understand any limitations and to avoid high error rates from eDNA surveys leading to wasted resources or inappropriate management decisions. For management of T.s. elegans in Australia, clearly defining the utility of certain eDNA based approaches to detect T.s. elegans and their incursions is vital for effective management of this pest species.

环境 DNA (eDNA) 调查作为一种高度灵敏的检测工具而广受欢迎，其性能通常优于传统检测技术。eDNA 调查可以提供一种经济有效的方法来确定物种的分布和最近的入侵，从而为控制或遏制入侵物种提供信息。红耳龟（Trachemys scripta elegans）是世界上最具入侵性的物种之一，被澳大利亚列为优先管理的害虫物种。在这项研究中，我们验证了两种 eDNA 检测方法来检测澳大利亚的这种入侵海龟。我们在实验室环境中证明了其中一种 eDNA 检测的高灵敏度和中环境的完美检出率，但表明这并不意味着在已知占用地点的城市水体中具有高检出率。事实上，我们的结果表明，与传统的线虫检测方法相比，eDNA 调查的性能并不是最优的。我们建议，必须在自然环境中逐个物种地评估 eDNA 调查提供高度敏感检测工具的能力，以了解任何限制，并避免 eDNA 调查的高错误率导致资源浪费或不当的管理决策。对于澳大利亚的线虫管理，明确界定某些基于 eDNA 的方法检测线虫及其入侵的效用对于有效管理该害虫物种至关重要。