Invasion

Invasion Description

Type locality- Tampa/FL/Gulf of Mexico (Gissler 1884). The native range of Loxothylacus panopaei extends through the Gulf of Mexico, into the Caribbean (Venezuela, Boschma 1955), and northward on the Atlantic coast to Cape Canaveral, FL (Hines et al. 1997). However, populations of L. panopaei on the Atlantic Coast north of Cape Canaveral appear to belong to a genetically distinct clade than populations from southern Florida or the eastern Gulf. They also show a shift to Panopeus spp. as a preferred host, suggesting that the Atlantic populations came from a different source population, and possibly could represent a different species (Kruse and Hare 2007).

Geographic Extent

Kennedy Park/FL/Indian River North (Kruse and Hare 2007, E. d.); Frontenac/FL/Indian River Lagoon (2005, Kruse and Hare 2007, Panopeus sp.); Roseland/FL/Indian River Lagoon (2005, Kruse and Hare 2007, Panopeus sp); Fort Pierce, Jack Island/FL/Indian River Lagoon (2005, Kruse and Hare 2007, Panopeus sp); Flamingo/FL/Florida Bay (Hines et al. 1997, Panopeus sp.); Fort Myers/FL/Charlotte Harbor Estuary (2002, infecting Eurypanopeus depressus (E. d.), invasive lineage, Kruse et al. 2012); Tampa/FL/ Gulf of Mexico (Gissler 1884); Cedar Key/FL/Gulf of Mexico (USNM 89222, US National Museum of Natural History 2008); LA/Bay Des Ilettes (USNM 88057, US National Museum of Natural History 2008); Cocodrie, Terrebone Parish/Lousiana/Gulf of Mexico (2006, infecting Eurypanopeus depressus, invasive lineage, Kruse et al. 2012); Chauvin/LA/Lake Quitman (2006, infecting Rhithropanopeus harrisii, invasive lineage, Kruse et al. 2012)