Description
Two species of lionfishes have been introduced to Western Atlantic waters. Pterois volitans (Red Lionfish) and P. miles (Devil Firefish) are morphologically very similar, and can be reliably distinguished only by genetic methods. I n a mitochondrial DNA survey of 755 lionfish in the western Atlantic, from the southern Caribbean to North Carolina and Bermuda, only 21 specimens were identifed as P. miles, 17 from North Carolina and 4 from Bermuda. The rest were P. volitans (Betancur-R. et al. 2011). Therefore, we will treat our one Chesapeake Bay region specimen as P. volitans.
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animalia | Chordata | Osteichthyes | Scorpaeniformes | Scorpaenidae | Pterois |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Unknown | Unknown | Introduced | Regular Resident | Western Pacific | Western Pacific | Ornamental(Pet Release) |
History of Spread
Pterois volitans (Red Lionfish) is native to the Indo-Pacific, with a wide range from Japan south to Indonesia and Australia, and east to French Polynesia and the Marquesas. A very similar species, P. miles (Devil Firefish) occupies the Indian Ocean, from the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and South Africa to Indonesia, overlapping somewhat with P. volitans (Froese and Pauly 2014; Kulbicki et al. 2012). Both of these fishes have been introduced to the Northwest Atlantic, but in a molecular survey, 97% of 755 specimens were P. volitans. Specimens of P. miles were found only in North Carolina and Bermuda, but P. volitans ranged from North Carolina to the southern Caribbean (Hamner et al. 2007; Freshwater et al. 2009). Here, we will refer to lionfish as P. volitans, but there is a small possibility that the one known Chesapeake Bay region specimen could be P. miles.
A lionfish was first captured off Dania FL, just north of Miami (USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2014). Other specimens were seen in Biscayne Bay in 1992, possibly released when houses with large marine aquariums were destroyed by Hurricane 'Andrew' (Courtenay 1997, Whitfield et al. 2002). More lionfish were seen in southern Florida in the 1990s, and by 2000, specimens were caught in NC and Bermuda (Whitfield et al. 2002). Cape Hatteras, NC, appears to be the limit of overwintering populations of P. volitans, but stray specimens have been caught as far north as Jamestown, RI (2006, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2014).
Lionfish spread rapidly in the subtropical Western Atlantic, reaching the Bahamas in 2004, the Gulf coast of Florida in 2006, Cozumel, Mexico by 2007, the Dominican Republic by 2008, and the coast of Venezuela and Colombia by 2009. By 2010-2011, they had expanded westward in the Gulf of Mexico to reach LA and TX (González et al. 2009; Guerrero and Franco 2009; Brown-Peterson and Hendon 2013; USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2014). This rapid spread was accompanied by a rapid increase in abundance, noted in the Bahamas (Green and Cote 2009), North Carolina (Whitfield et al. 2007; Morris et al. 2008),and the Florida Keys (Ruttenberg et al. 2012). In addition to geographical expansion, P. volitans also expanded its ecological range, from deep-water reefs and shipwrecks, to coral reefs, mangroves, and estuaries (Barbour et al. 2012; Biggs et al. 2011; Jud and Layman 2011).
Lionfish are associated with subtropical and tropical environments. In experiments, temperatures below 10 C were lethal, and in the field off NC,the fish were limited by a 12 C isotherm (Kimball et al. 2004). However, as with many native tropical fishes, larval and juvenile Lionfish are transported northward by currents and collected at locations where they could not survive the winter. Several fish were caught on the south side of Long Island NY in 2001-2003 (Briggs and Waldman 2002; Whitfield et al. 2002), one off Jamestown RI in 2006 and two off NJ in 2003 and 2004 ( USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2014). In September 2013, one Lionfish was observed in Rudee's Inlet, VA, the first sighting of this fish in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Invasion Comments
None
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | 10.0 | 36.0 | ||
| Salinity (‰) | 7.0 | 37.0 | ||
| Oxygen | None | |||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | meso-eu |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | 174.0 | 174.0 |
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 380.0 | 380.0 |
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| Typical Longevity (yrs |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
|||
| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Pterois volitans (Red Lionfish) are likely to be only a rare seasonal stray in the Chesapeake Bay region. They have no economic impacts here.
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
North of Cape Hatteras, Pterois volitans (Red Lionfish) is a rare stray, but from Cape Hatteras through the Caribbean, and into the Gulf of Mexico, it has become exceptionally abundant, of 24 to 400+ lionfish per hectare, off NC and the Bahamas, respectively (Whitfield et al. 2007; Green and Côté 2008; Morris 2012). As an abundant and effective predator, it threatens native sport and commercial fish stocks, and also threatens herbivorous fishes which control the growth of algae on coral reefs. The reef fishes and reefs are also a vital tourist resource in southern Florida and the Caribbean, so Lionfish predation could have major economic, as well as ecological impacts (Albins and Hixon 2013; Arias-Gonzalez et al. 2011; Morris et al. 2009). In addition to these impacts, the venomous spines of Lionfish pose a painful threat to snorkelers, divers, and people fishing. The venom is not fatal to humans, but causes intense pain, temporary paralysis of arms, and legs, and swelling (Morris et al. 2009; Morris 2012). If handled properly, the fish are edible, and highly regarded in Asia. Fishing is being encouraged as one possible method of control. However, integrated control programs are necessary, including monitoring, education, and organized removal efforts (Morris 2012).
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Pterois volitans (Red Lionfish) is likely to be only a rare seasonal stray in the Chesapeake Bay region, under present climate conditions. However, it has become a major predator in coastal and continent-shelf habitats from Cape Hatteras to the southern Caribbean, with the potential to alter fish communities, foodwebs, and the living communities that form the structure of coral reefs. In particular, predation on herbivorous reef fishes promotes the growth of algae, which threatens to smother and dominate the reef community (Albins et al. 2103; Côte et al. 2013; Green et al. 2012; Lesser and Slattery 2011).
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Pterois volitans (Red Lionfish) is likely to be only a rare seasonal stray in Chesapeake Bay, under present climate conditions. It is unlikely to affect any introduced fishes or invertebrates in the Chesapeake Bay region.
References
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