Density, size, biomass, and diet of lionfish in Guanahacabibes National Park, western Cuba

Aquatic Biology

Delmis Cabrera Guerra¹  Leonardo Espinosa Pantoja¹  Susana Perera Valderrama¹  Pedro Chevalier Monteagudo¹  Juan J. Schmitter-Soto¹  Erlán Cabrera Sansón¹  Laura María Pantoja Echevaria¹  Dorka Cobián Rojas¹  Alain García Rodríguez¹  Hansel Caballero Aragón¹  Raúl Igor Corrada Wong¹  Alexis Fernández Osorio¹  Héctor Salvat Torres¹ 

关键词: Invasive species;    Marine protected area;    Reef habitat;    Fish;    Scorpaenidae;    Pterois volitans;   

DOI  :  10.3354/ab00651

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Inter-Research

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT: The Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans is an invasive species that was first recorded in the Guanahacabibes National Park (GNP), a marine protected area in western Cuba, in 2009. In order to determine the invasion progression of this species, we studied lionfish abundance, size, and diet at 6 sites in the GNP between 2010 and 2014. The species�? density, biomass, and length increased over this period, probably due to the abundance of food and shelter in the GNP. Analysis of stomach contents indicated that lionfish fed primarily on fish and crustaceans; main prey were teleosts, predominantly Gobiidae, Pomacentridae, Mullidae, Labridae, Scaridae, and Grammatidae. This example of a rapid increase in an unmanaged population at the onset of invasion provides information that can be used to design a management program targeting lionfish.

【 授权许可】

Unknown