The invasive red lionfish, Pterois volitans (Linnaeus 1758), in the southwestern Caribbean Sea

Juliana González,Ricardo Betancur-R,Marcela Grijalba-Bendeck,Arturo Acero

doi:10.3391/ai.2009.4.3.12

Juliana González, Ricardo Betancur-R + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3391/ai.2009.4.3.12

Copy DOI

Abstract

Here, we record the presence of the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans) in Colombia based on six individuals collected in the Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona, Santa Marta (southern Caribbean), as well as two individuals observed in San Andres Island (western Caribbean) during May-July 2009. This is the first report of lionfish from South America.

Highlights

Alien species are recognized as major threat to ecosystem health, causing dramatic effects on biodiversity and habitat composition (Mack et al 2000)
One of the most notorious cases of alien marine fishes in recent years is the Indo-Pacific lionfish, which was introduced in the Western Atlantic
While traditional taxonomy indicates that Pterois volitans (Linnaeus 1758) and P. miles (Bennett 1828) comprise two different valid species (Schultz 1986), recent molecular studies suggest that there is uncertainty in determining whether the two entities represent species or populations (Kochzius et al 2003; Whitfield et al 2007)

Summary

Introduction

Alien species are recognized as major threat to ecosystem health, causing dramatic effects on biodiversity and habitat composition (Mack et al 2000). One of the most notorious cases of alien marine fishes in recent years is the Indo-Pacific lionfish, which was introduced in the Western Atlantic. Lionfish comprises a species complex whose native range encompasses the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the western Pacific (Schultz 1986).

Results

Conclusion