Early life ecology of the invasive lionfish (Pterois spp.) in the western Atlantic

Abstract

The invasion of the western Atlantic by the Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) is a serious threat to the ecological stability of the region. The early life history of the lionfish remains poorly understood despite the important role that larval supply plays reef fish population dynamics. In this study, we characterized patterns in the horizontal and vertical distributions of larval lionfish collected in the western Caribbean, US Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico from 19 ichthyoplankton surveys conducted from 2009–2016. Using generalized additive models (GAMs), we assessed the relative effects of spatiotemporal and environmental variation on the distribution of lionfish larvae. We also examined otoliths to determine larval ages and report the first larval growth rate estimates for this species. Lionfish larvae were present at 7.8% of all stations sampled and our model suggests that lionfish presence is related to sea surface temperature and the lunar cycle. Year and location also strongly affected the larval distribution, likely reflecting the ongoing expansion of the species during our sampling timeframe. Much of the variation in larval lionfish presence remained unexplained, and future studies should incorporate additional environmental factors to improve model predictions. This study improves our understanding of the lionfish life cycle and accentuates the need for further research into the early life history of this invasive species. The design and implementation of effective long-term lionfish control mechanisms will require an understanding of their entire life history.

Low Pufferfish and Lionfish Predation in Their Native and Invaded Ranges Suggests Human Control Mechanisms May Be Necessary to Control Their Mediterranean Abundances

“…Effective long-term control strategies for pufferfish and lionfish will require us to understand the factors that facilitate and control their population growth. For both species, their Mediterranean colonizations have been facilitated by environmental drivers, including ocean circulation, sea surface temperature, and the lunar cycle, which has been suggested for lionfish in the Western Atlantic invasion (Mostowy et al, 2020). Research and management will require regional coordination given their metapopulations are connected through larval dispersion (Johnston and Purkis, 2015).…”

The lionfishes: Comparative development of Pterois volitans, Dendrochirus barberi, and D. hemprichi (Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae: Pteroinae) and discrimination of their early life stages from non-pteroine scorpaenid genera in the Western North Atlantic

“…the egg sacs disintegrate within 12-24 hours post-spawning (Fishelson 1975;Moyer & zaiser 1981) and release the eggs into the water column where larvae hatch within hours to days depending on ambient water temperatures (Mito & uchida 1958;Smith-Vaniz & Collette 2013). larvae grow at rates comparable to some high-seas pelagic fishes (Mostowy et al 2020) and remain planktonic for an average of 26-30 days (range: 21-39 days; Ahrenholz & Morris 2010; lazarre 2016) while wind-driven ocean currents distribute the ElS (Johnston & Purkis 2011).…”