scholarly journals Setting the record straight on invasive lionfish control: Culling works

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle M Côté ◽  
Lad Akins ◽  
Elizabeth Underwood ◽  
Jocelyn Curtis-Quick ◽  
Stephanie J Green
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Prey Fish ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Behavioural Changes ◽  
Invasive Lionfish ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Reef Fauna

Indo-Pacific lionfish have invaded large parts of the western Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, and have already caused measurable declines in native Atlantic reef fauna. Culling efforts are occurring across the region, particularly on coral reefs, to reduce local lionfish abundances. Frequent culling has recently been shown to cause a shift towards more wary and reclusive behaviour by lionfish, which has prompted calls for halting culls. However, the effectiveness of culling per se is not in question. Culling successfully lowers lionfish numbers and has been shown to stabilise or even reverse declines in native prey fish. In fact, partial culling is often as effective as complete local eradication, yet requires significantly less time and effort. Abandoning culling altogether would therefore be seriously misguided and a hindrance to conservation. We offer suggestions for how to design removal programs that minimize behavioural changes and maximize culling success.

scholarly journals Setting the record straight on invasive lionfish control: Culling works

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle M Côté ◽  
Lad Akins ◽  
Elizabeth Underwood ◽  
Jocelyn Curtis-Quick ◽  
Stephanie J Green
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Prey Fish ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Behavioural Changes ◽  
Invasive Lionfish ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Reef Fauna

Indo-Pacific lionfish have invaded large parts of the western Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, and have already caused measurable declines in native Atlantic reef fauna. Culling efforts are occurring across the region, particularly on coral reefs, to reduce local lionfish abundances. Frequent culling has recently been shown to cause a shift towards more wary and reclusive behaviour by lionfish, which has prompted calls for halting culls. However, the effectiveness of culling per se is not in question. Culling successfully lowers lionfish numbers and has been shown to stabilise or even reverse declines in native prey fish. In fact, partial culling is often as effective as complete local eradication, yet requires significantly less time and effort. Abandoning culling altogether would therefore be seriously misguided and a hindrance to conservation. We offer suggestions for how to design removal programs that minimize behavioural changes and maximize culling success.

First record of the snapper-choking isopod Cymothoa excisa (Isopoda: Cymothoidae) parasitizing invasive lionfish Pterois volitans (Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae)

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (8) ◽  
pp. 2095-2097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfonso Aguilar-Perera ◽  
Luis Quijano-Puerto ◽  
Evelyn Carrillo-Flota ◽  
Ernest H. Williams ◽  
Lucy Bunkley-Williams
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Body Length ◽  
Buccal Cavity ◽  
First Record ◽  
Pterois Volitans ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Total Length ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Invasive Lionfish

Two female snapper-choking isopods Cymothoa excisa (body length 11 and 14 mm) were in the buccal cavity of two invasive lionfish Pterois volitans (total length 294 and 301 mm) collected in Alacranes Reef, southern Gulf of Mexico. This is the first record of C. excisa parasitizing invasive lionfish P. volitans in coral reefs of the Western Atlantic, where these isopods appear to have infected the host through adult prey-predator transfer.

Gonad morphology and gametogenesis in the deep-sea jellyfish Atolla wyvillei and Periphylla periphylla (Scyphozoa: Coronatae) collected from Cape Hatteras and the Gulf of Mexico

2009 ◽  
Vol 90 (6) ◽  
pp. 1095-1104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathy H. Lucas ◽  
Adam J. Reed
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Gonad Development ◽  
Bell Diameter ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Gonad Morphology ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Cape Hatteras ◽  
Literature Evidence ◽  
Long Time ◽  
North Western

Observations on gonad morphology and the structure of ovaries and testes of the coronate scyphozoans Atolla wyvillei and Periphylla periphylla are described based on samples collected from the Gulf of Mexico and Cape Hatteras (north-western Atlantic). In A. wyvillei, gonads of distinguishable sex were observed in medusae as small as 17 mm bell diameter (BD). Spermatogenesis occurred within follicles (average 366 × 254 μm) that were evenly distributed throughout the gonad. Oocytes in different stages of development were observed in all the females with gonads. Oocytes arise from the gastrodermis and migrate into the mesoglea to develop from early-mid to late vitellogenic oocytes characterized by a large nucleus and granular (organic-rich) cytoplasm. The largest oocytes measured were 543 μm and 263 μm from the Gulf of Mexico and Cape Hatteras respectively. Possible reasons for this difference are discussed. In P. periphylla gonads were also initially observed in medusae 17 mm BD, although not all larger medusae had obvious gonads. Unlike A. wyvillei sperm follicles were arranged in long convoluted rows normally only one follicle thick. The organization of ooytes in female P. periphylla was very similar to A. wyvillei, although the gonads were small and the number of oocytes present in each gonad very low (<22). The largest oocyte measured was 777 μm in a 53 mm BD medusa. Although medusae were collected from one time period only (September) in this study, our findings appear to be in agreement with literature evidence indicating that coronate jellyfish produce few eggs continuously over a long time period. Aspects of gonad development and gametogenesis are discussed with respect to potential differences in site productivity and species identification.

scholarly journals Unusual record of the Indo-Pacific pomacentrid Neopomacentrus cyanomos (Bleeker, 1856) on coral reefs of the Gulf of Mexico

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos González-Gándara ◽  
Vicencio de la Cruz-Francisco
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico

scholarly journals Total mercury concentrations in invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) from the Atlantic coast of Florida

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric G. Johnson ◽  
Angelina Dichiera ◽  
Danielle Goldberg ◽  
MaryKate Swenarton ◽  
James Gelsleichter
Keyword(s):  
Total Mercury ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Trophic Position ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Marine Fishes ◽  
Pterois Volitans ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Significant Barrier ◽  
Invasive Lionfish ◽  
Mercury Bioaccumulation

ABSTRACTInvasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) pose a serious threat to marine ecosystems throughout the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The development of a fishery for lionfish has been proposed as a strategy for controlling populations; however, there is concern about consumption of this species by humans due to its high trophic position and potential for bioaccumulation of mercury. We analyzed total mercury (THg) in tissues of lionfish from two locations on the east coast of Florida. THg in lionfish increased with size and differed by location and sex. THg was highest in muscle tissue and was strongly positively correlated among tissues. THg in lionfish was lower than other commonly consumed marine fishes, and falls into Florida’s least restrictive advisory level. Consumption of lionfish poses a low risk and concerns over mercury bioaccumulation should not present a significant barrier to lionfish harvest.

scholarly journals Comparison of cnidae sizes between the two morphotypes of the giant Caribbean sea anemone Condylactis gigantea (Actiniaria: Actiniidae)

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 1055
Author(s):  
Ricardo Enrique González Muñoz ◽  
Carlos Hernández-Ortiz ◽  
Agustin Garese ◽  
Nuno Simões ◽  
Fabián Horacio Acuña
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Related Species ◽  
Significant Variation ◽  
Caribbean Sea ◽  
Sea Anemone ◽  
Tropical Atlantic ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Mexican Caribbean ◽  
Ecological Differences

The sea anemone Condylactis gigantea is an ecologically important member of the benthic community in coral reefs of the tropical Atlantic, and displays two morphotypes with respect to the color in their tentacular tips: the green tip morphotype and the pink/purple tip morphotype. Although some molecular and ecological differences have been found between these morphotypes, no other morphological distinctions have been reported, and currently both are still considered a single taxonomic species. In the present study, we perform an exploration on the variability in the size of cnidae between these two morphotypes and performed statistical analyses to compare the 10 categories of cnidae from specimens hosted in the Cnidarian Collection of Gulf of Mexico and Mexican Caribbean, of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, which were previously collected in several coral reefs localities of the Yucatán Peninsula. Results reveal no significant variation in cnidae size between the two morphotypes, but significant variations were found within each morphotype. In addition, we update the composition of the cnidom of C. gigantea, and the utility of the size of cnidae to distinguish between morphotypes or closely related species is discussed.

An update on the diversity of marine sponges in the southern gulf of Mexico coral reefs

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5031 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-112
Author(s):  
DIANA UGALDE ◽  
JULIO C.C. FERNANDEZ ◽  
PATRICIA GÓMEZ ◽  
GISELE LÔBO-HAJDU ◽  
NUNO SIMÕES
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
New Records ◽  
Marine Sponges ◽  
Sponge Species ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico

Until now, 127 species of marine sponges have been recorded in the southern Gulf of Mexico (SGoM). In this study, we describe the sponge fauna recorded on 16 coral reefs of the SGoM, defined as the Mexican waters of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), during a period from 2005 to 2019. We report 80 sponge species, including 34 first geographic records for the southern GoM region. The latter are fully described and illustrated, taking into account 24 that represent new records for the GoM: Agelas conifera, Agelas sventres, Agelas wiedenmayeri, Prosuberites carriebowensis, Desmanthus meandroides, Cliona aprica, Cliona dioryssa, Placospongia ruetzleri, Haliclona (Gellius) megasclera, Haliclona (Reniera) aff. portroyalensis, Neopetrosia proxima, Xestospongia arenosa, Calyx podatypa, Shiphonodictyon xamaycaense, Acarnus innominatus, Iotrochota arenosa, Polymastia tenax, Svenzea cristinae, Svenzea flava, Svenzea tubulosa, Svenzea zeai, Timea stenosclera, Stellettinopsis megastylifera, Suberea flavolivescens. The present work highlights the understimated and remarkable diversity of reef-associated sponges within the Campeche Bank Coral reef systems. Present work data was compiled with existing published information to produce an updated list of 161 known sponges in the southern GoM.  

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