Oogenesis and spawn formation in the invasive lionfish, &lt;i&gt;Pterois miles&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Pterois volitans&lt;/i&gt;

James A Morris, Jr,Craig V Sullivan,John J Govoni

doi:10.3989/scimar.2011.75n1147

Abstract

The Indo-Pacific lionfish, Pterois miles and P. volitans, have recently invaded the U.S. east coast and the Caribbean and pose a significant threat to native reef fish communities. Few studies have documented reproduction in pteroines from the Indo-Pacific. This study provides a description of oogenesis and spawn formation in P. miles and P. volitans collected from offshore waters of North Carolina, U.S.A and the Bahamas. Using histological and laboratory observations, we found no differences in reproductive biology between P. miles and P. volitans. These lionfish spawn buoyant eggs that are encased in a hollow mass of mucus produced by specialized secretory cells of the ovarian wall complex. Oocytes develop on highly vascularized peduncles with all oocyte stages present in the ovary of spawning females and the most mature oocytes placed terminally, near the ovarian lumen. Given these ovarian characteristics, these lionfish are asynchronous, indeterminate batch spawners and are thus capable of sustained reproduction throughout the year when conditions are suitable. This mode of reproduction could have contributed to the recent and rapid establishment of these lionfish in the northwestern Atlantic and Caribbean.

Highlights

Two species of non-native lionfish, Pterois miles (Bennet, 1828) and P. volitans (Linnaeus, 1758), are established along the southeast coast of the United States and in parts of the Caribbean (Morris et al, 2009; Schofield 2009; Schofield et al, 2010). This is the second incidence of a pteroine invasion, the first being the establishment of P. miles in the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal in 1991 (Golani and Sonin, 1992)
In the United States, lionfish are imported as an ornamental reef fish (Semmens et al, 2004; Ruiz-Carus et al, 2006) and they were most likely introduced into Atlantic waters from the Indo-Pacific by recreational or commercial aquarists (Hare and Whitfield, 2003; Ruiz-Carus et al, 2006; Morris and Whitfield, 2009)
Lionfish are dispersed as planktonic larvae by oceanographic currents (Ahrenholz and Morris, 2010) and densities are capable of reaching well over 400 lionfish per hectare in the offshore waters of North Carolina, U.S.A. (Whitfield et al, 2002; 2007; Morris and Whitfield, 2009) and in the Bahamas (Green and Côté, 2008), with higher densities observed in the Atlantic than ever reported in their native range in the Indo-Pacific

Summary

Introduction

Two species of non-native lionfish, Pterois miles (Bennet, 1828) and P. volitans (Linnaeus, 1758), are established along the southeast coast of the United States and in parts of the Caribbean (Morris et al, 2009; Schofield 2009; Schofield et al, 2010). This is the second incidence of a pteroine invasion, the first being the establishment of P. miles in the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal in 1991 (Golani and Sonin, 1992). Lionfish are dispersed as planktonic larvae by oceanographic currents (Ahrenholz and Morris, 2010) and densities are capable of reaching well over 400 lionfish per hectare in the offshore waters of North Carolina, U.S.A. (Whitfield et al, 2002; 2007; Morris and Whitfield, 2009) and in the Bahamas (Green and Côté, 2008), with higher densities observed in the Atlantic than ever reported in their native range in the Indo-Pacific

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion