Abstract

The Indo-Pacific lionfishes, Pterois miles and P. volitans, are now established along the Southeast U.S. and parts of the Caribbean.. The reproductive mechanisms underlying this unprecedented invasion are largely unknown. For this reason, the characteristics of lionfish reproduction, including size at maturity, spawning seasonality, batch frequency, and fecundity were estimated from lionfish collected from the temperate (the Carolinas U.S.A.) and tropical (Bahamas) regions of their new Atlantic range. Fifty percent of male lionfish were sexually mature at ~ 100 mm total length (TL), while 50% of fe-male lionfish were mature at ~180 mm TL. Lionfish spawn throughout the year with peak spawning during summer. Esti-mates of lionfish batch frequency were 3.6 d for North Carolina and 4.1 d for the Bahamas. Fecundity estimates confirmed that lionfish are capable of releasing over two million eggs per year. This work provides the first comprehensive assessment of reproductive parameters of the pteroines and valuable insight into the reproductive potential of invasive lionfish.

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