Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: National Submarine Park of Monte Cristi/Dominican Republic/Caribbean Sea (5/2008, Guerrero and Franco 2008, (19°53'45"N, 071°37'58"W
Geographic Extent
National Submarine Park of Monte Cristi/Dominican Republic/Caribbean Sea (5/2008, Guerrero and Franco 2008, (19°53'45"N, 071°37'58"W); Acadins Coastal Area, Haiti/Gulf of La Gonave, , Caribbean Sea (2008, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2008); Labadee shores reef on north shore of Haiti/Haiti/ Atlantic Ocean (2009, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2008); (St. Croix/U.S. Virgin Islands/Atlantic Ocean, Salt River Canyon (USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2008); Blue Beach (Bahia de la Chiva), Vieques Island,/Puerto Rico/Caribbean Sea (USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2008); Long Pointe - off north end of Guana Island/Caribbean Sea (10/6/2008, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2008); St. Thomas, between Dutchcap Cay and Savana Island/US Virgin Islands/Caribbean Sea (1/20/2010, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2010); St. John, Virgin Islands National Park/US Virgin Islands/Caribbean Sea (3/8/2010, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2010); St. John, VI Coral Reef National Monument/US Virgin Islands/Caribbean Sea, thumb region of water creek (11/30/2010, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program); Anegada/ British Virgin Islands/Loblolly Bay off SW point of the island/Caribbean Sea (10/21/2010, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program); Anguilla (UK)/ Caribbean Sea (8/16/2010, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program); Man of War dive site near Diamond Rocks/Netherlands Antilles, Saba/Caribbean Sea (2010, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2010); Sec de Grand-Case/Saint Martin/Caribbean Sea (2010, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2010); Pointe Noire/Mahault on west coast of island/Guadeloupe/Caribbean Sea (9/15/2010, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2010); Saint James, Allen's Reef/Barbados/Caribbean Sea (11/24/2011, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2012)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Probable | Natural Dispersal |
Regional Impacts
| Economic Impact | Health | |
| Ciguatera toxin was found in Lionfish in St. Maarten in 2011. and people were advised not to eat the fish (Associated Press 2011). Howver, test results on uncooked lionfish can be misleading, because they contain another group of toxins (Scorpaenitoxins), which give positive results, but are destroyed by cooking (Hixon et al. 2015). In Martinique, 117 patients in 2011-2014, stung by lionfish spines, were examined. All had local swelling. Other common symptoms were more extensive swelling, gastointestinal disorders, abdominal cramps, fainting, tachycardia, and hyptertension. Immersion of the stung area in warm water reduced pain duration and the chance of infection (Reisiere et al. 2015). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Predation | |
| Lionfish were found to be feeding on a newly described goby (Palatogobius incendius) living in deep-water mesophotic reef areas (Tornabene and Baldwin 2017). | ||