Invasion

Invasion Description

1st Record: Gatun Lakes & Miraflores Locks/Panama/Panama Canal (1935, Hildebrand 1939)

Juveniles are abundant in Pacific waters near the Canal entrance, but spawning on the Pacific side has not been confirmed (Cohen 2006). By 2018, juveniles have been reported over 700 km of Pacific shoreline, inidcating that spawning is probably occuring on the Pacific coast if Panama, although larvae have not been found (Castellanos-Galindo et al. 2019).

Geographic Extent

Gatun Lakes & Miraflores Locks/Panama/Panama Canal (1935, Hildebrand 1939); Panama/Panama Bay (unsubstantiated reports by fishermen, McCosker and Dawson 1975, but reports of catches by Heilner 1965. cited by Cohen 2006); Coiba Island/Panama/Panama Bay (Cohen 2006); Panama/Bayano River, Panama Bay (Cohen 2006, numerous catches by sport fishermen); Costa Rica-Panama/Gulf of Nicoya (2016-2018, Castellanos-Galindo et al. 2019)