The False Mussel Mytilopsis adamsi Morrison, 1946 (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Dreissenidae) in the Pacific Waters of Mexico: A Case of Biological Invasion

Abstract

The false mussel Mytilopsis adamsi, originally described from the Pacific coast of Panama, is reported for the first time as an introduced species in the Urias estuary and an adjacent shrimp farm, on the Pacific coasts of Mexico. In the 19th century, this species was transported from the Pacific coast of Panama, reaching the Indo-Pacific Ocean, but it had not been previously reported in other coasts of the American Pacific. Its recent and irregular presence in this small estuary near shore the Mazatlan harbor and an adjacent shrimp farm suggests that the species was introduced into the area but it cannot still be considered as a harmful invader. The presence of the species in the shrimp farm may indicate that it was introduced along with shrimp stocks from Central America, although its passive transportation to the estuary via ballast water or attached to hulls is not discounted.