Marine Ecology Progress Series
MEPS is a leading hybrid research journal on all aspects of marine, coastal and estuarine ecology. Priority is given to outstanding research that advances our ecological understanding.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09580
copiedInvasive red lionfish Pterois volitans blow directed jets of water at prey fish
ABSTRACT:
Field and laboratory observations of feeding by invasive Pacific red lionfish Pterois volitans were conducted during June through August of 2008, 2009 and 2010 near Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas. Observations of this invasive marine predator revealed a previously undocumented piscivorous behavior. While slowly approaching prey fish, lionfish produce jets of water directed toward their prey. These jets may confuse or distract prey, and often result in prey fish facing the attacking lionfish, increasing the probability of head-first capture and swallowing. While a variety of fishes are reported to create directed water jets, to our knowledge, this is the first report of a fish that does so during the capture of fish prey. This behavior may confer a high degree of predatory efficiency, and thus contribute to the dramatic success of this Pacific invader of tropical Western Atlantic and Caribbean coral reefs.
KEYWORDS
Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans in a seagrass bed in the Bahamas. Photo: Timothy J. Pusack, Oregon State University
Red lionfish Pterois volitans from the Pacific Ocean have spread across much of the Western Atlantic since the mid 1980s. Lionfish consume large numbers of small native fishes, including ecologically and economically important species. Albins and Lyons describe a predatory behavior which may be unique to lionfish: blowing jets of water at prey fish to confuse or distract them. This often results in prey fish facing the attacking lionfish, increasing the probability of headfirst capture and swallowing. Native prey may be evolutionarily naïve to this predation strategy and a resulting lack of effective defensive responses could be a factor in the success of invasive lionfish.
Mark A. Albins (Co-author)
- Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, 3029 Cordley Hall, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA
Patrick J. Lyons (Co-author)
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, SUNY at Stony Brook, 650 Life Sciences Building, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA