Because they
are air-breathers, they are often shipped and sold
alive, potentiating the likelihood of intentional or accidental
introduction to non-native environments (Fuller
et al. 1999, Courtenay & Williams 2004). In the USA,
snakeheads have been found within freshwater bodies
since the early 1900s (Fuller et al. 1999, Courtenay &
Williams 2004). Currently, 4 species of snakeheads
may be found in the USA: blotched snakehead C. maculata;
striped snakehead C. striata; northern snakehead
C. argus; and bullseye snakehead C. marulius. Of
these, only the northern and bullseye snakeheads are
found within the continental USA. The first established
northern snakehead population was initially documented
in Crofton, Maryland during the summer of
2002, but the species has since become established in
the Potomac River along Virginia and Maryland
(Courtenay & Williams 2004, Odenkirk & Owens 2005,
US Geological Survey 2009). The bullseye snakehead
was documented in freshwater canals of Tamarac,
Florida during the summer of 2000 and has remained
relatively localized to specific canal systems (Courtenay
& Williams 2004, Shafland et al. 2008). Herein we
report the first known mass mortality event caused by
EUS in bullseye snakehead collected from freshwater
canals of south Florida.