The Red Lionfish, or Pterois volitans, is a subtropical fish species originating from Asia that has distinctive red, white, brown, and maroon stripes. Adult lionfish can grow up to around 17 inches long, with fan-like pectoral fins and many dorsal spines along their body, all of which are venomous (Raloff J. 2006). This peculiar fish is considered one of the most successful fish invader in the western Atlantic Ocean as it consumes a wide variety of prey. Several life history and behavioral traits make them an atypical marine invasive species because they facilitate their continued spread and population growth (Arias-González JE and al. 2011; Raloff J. 2006). These traits include the facts that P. volitans can reach sexual maturity within one year, all the while having high reproductive output, and experiencing virtually almost no predation of their own, due to their possession of large, venomous dorsal, pelvic and anal spines (Arias-González JE and al. 2011). These factors make the invasive red lionfish a compelling system to study species interactions with native fish communities
Since their …show more content…
(2014) observations showed that on average territorial males spent more time in the refuge with the native predator opposed to the non-predator (t13= 4.46, p= 0.001) (Fig.1) and with the addition of a female, the main effect of intruder species was significant (Fig. 2b). Nevertheless, in general Damselfish demonstrated invasive predator recognition and subsequent anti-predator behavior, which may attenuate the impact posed by this invasive predator. However, damsel fish under predation threat failed to modulate courtship behavior in the presence of lionfish, the number of courtship dips remaining almost similar to when no threat were exposed (Fig. 3 and 4) . Therefore, benefits derived from the ability to recognize and respond appropriately to lionfish may be of little consequence if damselfish are unable to curtail high-risk courtship behavior in their
Since their …show more content…
(2014) observations showed that on average territorial males spent more time in the refuge with the native predator opposed to the non-predator (t13= 4.46, p= 0.001) (Fig.1) and with the addition of a female, the main effect of intruder species was significant (Fig. 2b). Nevertheless, in general Damselfish demonstrated invasive predator recognition and subsequent anti-predator behavior, which may attenuate the impact posed by this invasive predator. However, damsel fish under predation threat failed to modulate courtship behavior in the presence of lionfish, the number of courtship dips remaining almost similar to when no threat were exposed (Fig. 3 and 4) . Therefore, benefits derived from the ability to recognize and respond appropriately to lionfish may be of little consequence if damselfish are unable to curtail high-risk courtship behavior in their