Abstract
The Indo-Pacific red lionfish Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) and devil firefish Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828) invasions through the western Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico are reasonably well documented. While lionfish have been reported on multiple natural and artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico, this study notes their presence at previously undocumented mesophotic habitats and depths surrounding natural banks in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico.
Highlights
The invasion of the Indo-Pacific lionfishes Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) and P. miles (Bennett, 1828) (Family: Scorpaenidae) (Figure 1) outside of their native range has been reasonably well documented throughout the past decade
By 2009, lionfish were considered established throughout the Caribbean (Morris and Akins 2009) and in 2010 the first lionfish sightings were reported for the northern Gulf of Mexico by SCUBA divers and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs)
This study extends the depth range reported for lionfish in the Gulf of Mexico to over 112 m and demonstrates that additional sampling beyond traditional diver surveys is needed to gain a more complete understanding of the lionfish invasion process and the threats it poses to different habitat and ecosystem types
Summary
The invasion of the Indo-Pacific lionfishes Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) and P. miles (Bennett, 1828) (Family: Scorpaenidae) (Figure 1) outside of their native range has been reasonably well documented throughout the past decade. By 2009, lionfish were considered established throughout the Caribbean (Morris and Akins 2009) and in 2010 the first lionfish sightings were reported for the northern Gulf of Mexico by SCUBA divers and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Lionfish have been documented on natural and artificial reef structures throughout the Gulf of Mexico and are considered established in the region (Aguilar-Perera and Tuz-Sulub 2010; Schofield 2010). There are over 3,000 petroleum platforms and numerous artificial reefs sites in the north western Gulf of Mexico (BSEE 2012). All of these features support diverse benthic and fish communities, and represent potential habitat for lionfish, given the species thermal, depth, and salinity tolerances. Anecdotal reports suggest that lionfish populations have increased rapidly in the deep waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico, following their initial colonization in the southern and eastern Gulf
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