AB 24:219-226 (2016) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00651
Density, size, biomass, and diet of lionfish in Guanahacabibes National Park, western Cuba
Dorka Cobián Rojas1, Pedro Chevalier Monteagudo2, Juan J. Schmitter-Soto3,*, Raúl Igor Corrada Wong2, Héctor Salvat Torres4, Erlán Cabrera Sansón4, Alain García Rodríguez5, Alexis Fernández Osorio2, Leonardo Espinosa Pantoja6, Delmis Cabrera Guerra2, Laura María Pantoja Echevaria2, Hansel Caballero Aragón2, Susana Perera Valderrama7
ABSTRACT: The Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans is an invasive species that was first recorded in the Guanahacabibes National Park (GNP), a marine protected area in western Cuba, in 2009. In order to determine the invasion progression of this species, we studied lionfish abundance, size, and diet at 6 sites in the GNP between 2010 and 2014. The species’ density, biomass, and length increased over this period, probably due to the abundance of food and shelter in the GNP. Analysis of stomach contents indicated that lionfish fed primarily on fish and crustaceans; main prey were teleosts, predominantly Gobiidae, Pomacentridae, Mullidae, Labridae, Scaridae, and Grammatidae. This example of a rapid increase in an unmanaged population at the onset of invasion provides information that can be used to design a management program targeting lionfish.
KEY WORDS: Invasive species · Marine protected area · Reef habitat · Fish · Scorpaenidae · Pterois volitans
Full text in pdf format  Supplementary material | Cite this article as: Rojas DC, Chevalier Monteagudo P, Schmitter-Soto JJ, Corrada Wong RI and others (2016) Density, size, biomass, and diet of lionfish in Guanahacabibes National Park, western Cuba. Aquat Biol 24:219-226. https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00651
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