Collected from open waters in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. This tropical/subtropical species could not become established in those temperate waters. The pathway into these New England states was likely aquarists who released their 'pets' when they grew too large for their aquaria and/or it became too costly to feed them. One fish (272 mm SL) was taken below Springvale Dam on the Mousam River, near Sanford, York County, Maine, during the summer of 1976 (USGS/BRD-G database). One fish (318 mm SL) was taken by an angler (who claimed to have caught a second specimen) (Ref. 74657).
Ref:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2002
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