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Article
Diet of the Invasive Lionfish Pterois sp. in Broward County, Florida
Journal of Aquatic Sciences and Oceanography
  • Sarah Ann Jasper, Nova Southeastern University
  • J. D. Thomas, Nova Southeastern University
  • David Kerstetter, Nova Southeastern University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2018
Keywords
  • Diet,
  • Lionfish,
  • Stomach content analysis,
  • Reef fish,
  • Ontogenetic shift
Abstract

The geographic range of invasive lionfish Pterois sp. currently extends throughout the Greater Caribbean in the western North Atlantic, prompting concerns about the impacts of its predation on local ecosystems. We focused on dietary habits of lionfish in Broward County, Florida, where there is only limited, anecdotal information on the species’ prey selection. Diet was determined using percent number, percent occurrence and percent weight, as well as the composite index of relative abundance (%IRI). A high percent teleost diet was documented during the third quarter (July-September) and a high crustacean diet in the fourth quarter (October-December), but seasonal effects by quarter or wet-dry analyses were insignificant. We observed an ontogenetic shift from a mainly crustacean diet to one consisting of mainly teleost fishes: the smallest lionfish size group (5-10 cm) had a 100% crustacean diet, whereas the largest size group (35-40 cm) had a 77% teleost and 23% crustacean diet. Our study results found no evidence that lionfish consumed commercially or recreationally targeted teleost species in these nearshore reef habitats.

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© JASO 2017.All right reserved. Created by Scholarena. Open Access.

ORCID ID
0000-0002-4440-8767
ResearcherID
I-5396-2012
Citation Information
Sarah Ann Jasper, J. D. Thomas and David Kerstetter. "Diet of the Invasive Lionfish Pterois sp. in Broward County, Florida" Journal of Aquatic Sciences and Oceanography Vol. 1 Iss. 1 (2018) p. 1 - 9
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/david-kerstetter/103/