Geographic extent and chronology of the invasion of non-native lionfish (Pterois volitans [Linnaeus 1758] and P. miles [Bennett 1828]) in the Western North Atlantic and Caribbean Sea

Pamela Schofield

doi:10.3391/ai.2009.4.3.5

Abstract

The Indo-Pacific lionfishes (Pterois volitans [Linnaeus 1758] and P. miles [Bennett 1828]: Family Scorpaenidae) are the first non-native marine fishes to establish in the Western North Atlantic. The chronology of the invasion is reported here using records from the US Geological Survey’s Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database. Currently, lionfish are established off the Atlantic coast of the USA from the Florida Keys to Cape Hatteras (North Carolina), the Great Antilles, Bermuda, Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos. The species have been reported from only one island in the Lesser Antilles (St. Croix), but it is not yet established there. Lionfish are established in Mexico, Honduras and Costa Rica. Reports have come from the Gulf of Mexico (Florida), Belize, Panama and Colombia; although lionfish are not considered established in these localities at this time (August 2009), invasion is likely imminent.

Highlights

The Indo-Pacific lionfish species (Pterois volitans [Linnaeus 1758] and P. miles [Bennett 1828]: Family Scorpaenidae) are the first nonnative marine fishes to establish in the Western North Atlantic and Caribbean Sea
Atlantic Coast of Mainland USA The first confirmed record of lionfish occurrence in the USA was a specimen taken by a lobster fisherman off Dania, Florida in October 1985 (Morris and Akins In Press)
Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and Cayman Islands: Lionfish were numerous in Bermuda by 2004 and established in the Bahamas by 2005, the Turks and Caicos by 2008 and the Cayman Islands by 2009

Summary

Introduction

The Indo-Pacific lionfish species (Pterois volitans [Linnaeus 1758] and P. miles [Bennett 1828]: Family Scorpaenidae) are the first nonnative marine fishes to establish in the Western North Atlantic and Caribbean Sea. There are both confirmed and unconfirmed (anecdotal) reports of lionfish sightings from decades past, it is only recently (i.e., since 2000) that the species have considerably increased in numbers and spread through the Western North Atlantic (Whitfield et al 2002, 2007; Freshwater et al 2009a) At this time it is unclear what effects this new addition will have on native communities, and because the invasion is so recent there are few ecological studies of its impact (but see Albins and Hixon 2008). Information on the chronology of invasion of the lionfish is provided using records from the US Geological Survey’s Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database (USGS-NAS 2009)

Methods

Results

Conclusion