Abstract

This study examined the stomach contents of lionfish (Pterois sp.) captured during a lionfish derby in the Cozumel Marine Park in Cozumel, Mexico. The study was performed as part of a binational collaborative effort to monitor the im-pacts of the invasive lionfish in Cozumel. The goals of the study were to describe the general characteristics of lionfish feeding ecology within the park and to identify local species at risk from predation by lionfish. As this study is the first step in a multi-year diet monitoring effort, the derby-based methodology for performing lionfish diet studies in the park was also evaluated to identify areas in which data collection and analysis can be improved in future replications of the study. Lion-fish captured in the park consumed mostly fish, followed by shrimp, crabs, and other decapod crustaceans. Crab prey were observed in 24.4% of the stomachs examined, considerably more frequently than in other studies of coral reef-associated lionfish diet. Fifteen families of fish and four families of decapods were identified in the stomach contents, several of which have significant commercial or ecological value to habitats of the tropical Western Atlantic. Incongruities between the find-ings of this diet study and those of previous lionfish diet studies suggest both necessary changes to the diet analysis method-ology as well as novel aspects of lionfish feeding ecology that warrant future study.

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