Morphometry of Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Veracruz Reef System in the Central Zone of the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

The invasive species P. volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) has presented a significant geographic advance considering its original distribution, since the Indo-Pacific it has reached the west coast of the Atlantic, including mainly the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. In this geographic advance, protected areas are included and it is a reference species of impact on native species. Size, weight and distribution of the lionfish were evaluated in this study, in the Veracruz Reef System, National Park of the Gulf of Mexico. In the period from May to June 2016, 30 organisms were captured, their size and weight were recorded, comparing these meristic data with previous records in the area and other sites. An average height (±SD) of 248.14±48.2mm was reported in the analysis of the results, indicating a considerable increase in the size of the species in this study. It can be inferred that P. volitans possess a considerable ability to adapt and behave as opportunists, and being a natural predator has allowed them to reach these sizes.

What do we know about Pterois volitans in the Reefs of Veracruz, Mexico?

“…Despite the wide dissemination of the lionfish invasion in reef formations, research on this species in the reefs of Veracruz is very scarce and has been carried out exclusively in the VRS. Publications reveal that the size of P. volitans in Veracruz is 248.1±48.2 mm and the weight is 279.2±221.8 gr [11]. Likewise, it presents endoparasites (trematodes, cestodes and nematodes) with a prevalence of less than 30% and heavy metals in the tissues (Cd=0.03, Pb=0.66, V=7.3 and Zn=0.43 mg kg-1 dry weight) whose concentrations do not exceed official standards [12,13].…”

Density, biomass, and size structure of lionfish in the Tuxpan reef, Veracruz

“…El rango de tallas observado en la población de pez león en el arrecife de Tuxpan incluye juveniles y adultos (12.2-35.2 cm), similar a lo observado en otros sistemas arrecifales del Golfo de México (Ruttenberg et al, 2012;Rodríguez-Cortés et al, 2015;Reyes-Aguilar et al, 2018) y el Caribe Mexicano (Sabido-Itzá & García-Rivas, 2019). El análisis comparativo de la distribución de tallas en dos periodos sucesivos (2013 y 2015) en el arrecife Tuxpan muestra un incremento de la talla promedio, lo cual puede estar relacionado con la evolución natural de la población y su establecimiento definitivo.…”

“…Aunque han transcurrido más de 10 años desde la llegada del pez león a los arrecifes de Veracruz, la investigación es escasa y dispersa. El conocimiento sobre el pez león en esta región incluye: datos de talla y peso (Reyes- Aguilar et al, 2018), estudios helmintológicos (Montoya-Mendoza et al, 2017), metales pesados en tejidos (Montoya-Mendoza et al, 2019) y contenido estomacal (Aguilar-Medrano & Vega-Cendejas, 2020;González-Gándara et al, 2020), pero no existen datos sobre densidad, biomasa y distribución vertical, que son básicos para definir las futuras estrategias de control.…”