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Invasive Species We Study: Lionfish Active

By Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program September 30, 2022

Lionfishes (Pterois volitans and P. miles) have established self-sustaining populations and spread throughout the Western North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. Although there are reports of lionfish sightings from decades past, the species have considerably  increased in numbers and spread since 2000. The remarkable speed with which lionfishes have invaded the region is unprecedented and alarming. 

Lionfish Research

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Blotched foxface rabbitfish (Siganus unimaculatus)

Early Detection and Rapid Response: Removal of Newly Introduced Non-native Marine Fishes to Prevent Invasions

USGS WARC works with partners on early detection and rapid response (ED/RR) efforts, rapidly removing newly introduced non-native marine fishes from Florida’s coastal waters to prevent invasions.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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Early Detection and Rapid Response: Removal of Newly Introduced Non-native Marine Fishes to Prevent Invasions

USGS WARC works with partners on early detection and rapid response (ED/RR) efforts, rapidly removing newly introduced non-native marine fishes from Florida’s coastal waters to prevent invasions.
Learn More
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Lionfish are spreading through the Western North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico

Lionfish Distribution, Geographic Spread, Biology, and Ecology

Many aspects of lionfish biology are studied at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center. As part of the U.S. Geological Survey Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database, the distribution of lionfish is tracked over time.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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Lionfish Distribution, Geographic Spread, Biology, and Ecology

Many aspects of lionfish biology are studied at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center. As part of the U.S. Geological Survey Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database, the distribution of lionfish is tracked over time.
Learn More

Explore our science using the data below.

Red Lionfish DNA data collected from Florida, USA and around the invasive distribution from 2007 to 2016

Red lionfish (Pterois volitans) have become a successful invasive predator across the Northwestern Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Previous investigations have identified the southeast coast of Florida as the original site of introduction, but no region-wide genetic study has directly addressed the question of introduction location(s). This dataset includes previously unpublished re
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Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Lionfish (Pterois sp.) invade the upper bathyal zone in the western Atlantic

Invasive lionfish have been widely recorded throughout the western Atlantic on both shallow and mesophotic reefs, where they have been linked to declines in reef health. In this study we report the first lionfish observations from the deep sea (>200 m) in Bermuda and Roatan, Honduras, with lionfish observed to a maximum depth of 304 m off the Bermuda platform, and 250 m off West End, Roatan. Place
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Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Explore our science using the publications below.

Filter Total Items: 15

Genetic analysis of red lionfish Pterois volitans from Florida, USA, leads to alternative North Atlantic introduction scenarios

The red lionfish Pterois volitans is a successful invasive predator across the western North Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. The southeast coast of Florida (USA) has been identified as the original introduction location, but genetic analyses including Florida lionfish have yet to investigate introduction scenarios. Here, we assessed the potential lionfish invasion pathways using 1795 sequ
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Life history, genetics, range expansion and new frontiers of the lionfish (Pterois volitans, Perciformes: Pteroidae) in Latin America

Pterois volitans (lionfish) is a midsize predatory fish commonly found in waters of the western Pacific and Indian Ocean. The species was first documented in Dania Beach, Florida (northwestern Caribbean) in 1985. Since that time the species has expanded its range rapidly to the Northwestern Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea. Since its introduction P. volitans has changed community
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Modeling suitable habitat of invasive red lionfish Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) in North and South America’s coastal waters

We used two common correlative species-distribution models to predict suitable habitat of invasive red lionfish Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans. The Generalized Linear Model (GLM) and the Maximum Entropy (Maxent) model were applied using the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling. We compared models developed using native occurrences, using non
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Survival and growth of invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish at low salinities

Invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish [Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) and P. miles (Bennett, 1828)] are now established throughout the Western North Atlantic. Several studies have documented negative effects of lionfish on marine fauna including significant changes to reef fish community composition. Established populations of lionfish have been documented in several estuaries, and there is concern th
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Habitat use patterns of the invasive red lionfish Pterois volitans: a comparison between mangrove and reef systems in San Salvador, Bahamas

The Indo-Pacific red lionfish Pterois volitans is widespread both in its native and its non-native habitats. The rapid invasion of this top predator has had a marked negative effect on fish populations in the Western Atlantic and the Caribbean. It is now well documented that lionfish are invading many tropical and sub-tropical habitats. However, there are fewer data available on the change in lion
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Wide-ranging phylogeographic structure of invasive red lionfish in the Western Atlantic and Greater Caribbean

The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) is an invasive predatory marine fish that has rapidly expanded its presence in the Western Hemisphere. We collected 214 invasive red lionfish samples from nine countries and territories, including seven unpublished locations. To more comprehensively evaluate connectivity, we compiled our d-loop sequence data with 846 published sequences, resulting in 1,060 sampl
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Predicting spatial and temporal distribution of Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans) in Biscayne Bay through habitat suitability modeling

Invasive species may exhibit higher levels of growth and reproduction when environmental conditions are most suitable, and thus their effects on native fauna may be intensified. Understanding potential impacts of these species, especially in the nascent stages of a biological invasion, requires critical information concerning spatial and temporal distributions of habitat suitability. Using empiric
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

The role of citzens in detecting and responding to a rapid marine invasion

Documenting and responding to species invasions requires innovative strategies that account for ecological and societal complexities. We used the recent expansion of Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) throughout northern Gulf of Mexico coastal waters to evaluate the role of stakeholders in documenting and responding to a rapid marine invasion. We coupled an online survey of spearfisher
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Non-native fishes in Florida freshwaters: a literature review and synthesis

Non-native fishes have been known from freshwater ecosystems of Florida since the 1950s, and dozens of species have established self-sustaining populations. Nonetheless, no synthesis of data collected on those species in Florida has been published until now. We searched the literature for peer-reviewed publications reporting original data for 42 species of non-native fishes in Florida that are cur
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Marine and inland fishes of St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands: an annotated checklist

An historical account is given for the ichthyological research at St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands, followed by an annotated list of 544 species of mostly marine shore fishes known or reported from the island to depths of 200 m. Color photographs are included for 103 of these species. Collections made at Buck Island Reef National Monument with the ichthyocide rotenone in 2001 and 2005 increased the
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Invasive lionfish use a diversity of habitats in Florida

Two species of lionfish (Pterois volitans and Pterois miles) are the first marine fishes known to invade and establish self-sustaining populations along the eastern seaboard of the United States. First documented off the coast of Florida in 1985, lionfish are now found along the Atlantic coast of the United States as well as in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Although long-term effects of th
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Total mercury concentrations in lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) from the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, USA

Strategies to control invasive lionfish in the western Atlantic and Caribbean are likely to include harvest and consumption. Until this report, total mercury concentrations had been documented only for lionfish from Jamaica, and changes in concentrations with increasing fish size had not been evaluated. In the Florida Keys, total mercury concentrations in dorsal muscle tissue from 107 lionfish ran
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center