In August 2023, Ian and Brayan traveled to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution (STRI) in Panama to work with Dr. Haris Lessios to survey for DaScPc in coral reefs of both the Atlantic and Pacific… on subsequent days! We started the trip by snorkeling on the Pacific side, where we swabbed corals (deep!). The second day, we traveled to Galeta, on the Atlantic side, stopping by the Panama Canal to learn more about its history. The Atlantic side of the Isthmus was the epicenter of the 1983/1984 Diadema mass mortality, but this time in 2022 onwards, they had no reports of urchin mortality. We did not find DaScPc in any corals we sampled. Ian also presented a seminar at STRI.

Publications from this expedition:

Henson MW, Leon-Rodriguez AJ, DeRito CM, Lessios H, Quod J-P, Vilanova-Cuevas B, Hewson I (2026) “Host-independent persistence of the Diadema antillarum Scuticociliatosis Philaster clade in coastal environments” biorxiv https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.07.698123