Red Lionfish Population Increasing in the Caribbean

The Red Lionfish, also known as "ghost fishes of the coral reefs" are invading the Caribbean, a new study has found.

These fishes are invisible to their prey, which explains their exceeding population in the region. The study was conducted by Oona Lönnstedt and Professor Mark McCormick from the James Cook University.

The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a venomous species living in the Pacific and can grow to about 15 inches in size. Its body is covered with reddish-brown bands separated by white lines, which helps it hide in the coral reefs.

The fish has been declared "invasive" in the Caribbean as well as the U.S.

"Lionfish are native to the Pacific, but have been taking over the Caribbean Basin ever since they were accidentally introduced almost 30 years ago," Professor McCormick said.

"Their extreme success as an invasive predator has long been a mystery to ecologists worldwide," McCormick said in a news release.

Researchers found that its ability to effectively become invisible helps it catch its prey. For the study, they compared the hunting strategy of the Red Lionfish with that of two other predators. Scientists found that the Red Lionfish were successful at almost every attempt.

"Lionfish were able to sneak up on their prey and capture every single one, while the other predators had much lower feeding success," Lönnstedt said.

The study, 'Ultimate Predators: lionfish have evolved to circumvent prey risk assessment abilities' is published in the latest issue of PLOS ONE.

Recently, Oregon State University researcher Stephanie Green said that Atlantic Ocean lionfish have become a threat to native fish.