Lionfish (Pterois sp.) invade the upper bathyal zone in the western Atlantic

Invasive lionfish have been widely recorded throughout the western Atlantic on both shallow and mesophotic reefs, where they have been linked to declines in reef health. In this study we report the first lionfish observations from the deep sea (>200 m) in Bermuda and Roatan, Honduras, with lionfish observed to a maximum depth of 304 m off the Bermuda platform, and 250 m off West End, Roatan. Placed in the context of other deeper lionfish observations and records, our results imply that lionfish may be found more widely in the 200-300 m depth range of the upper bathyal zone across the western Atlantic, but currently are severely underreported. We highlight the need for considering deep-sea lionfish populations in future invasive lionfish management.

入侵蓑鲉（lionfish）在西大西洋海域的浅海与中光礁（mesophotic reef）区域均有广泛的观测记录，这类入侵物种与珊瑚礁健康状况的退化存在显著关联。本研究首次报道了百慕大群岛与洪都拉斯罗阿坦海域深海（>200米）中的蓑鲉观测结果：百慕大陆架外缘的蓑鲉观测最大深度达304米，罗阿坦岛西端海域的观测最大深度为250米。结合其他深海蓑鲉观测记录与相关研究背景，本研究结果表明，西大西洋海域半深海上层带（upper bathyal zone）200-300米的深度范围内或许广泛分布有蓑鲉，但目前这类分布的记录严重不足。我们强调，未来开展入侵蓑鲉防控管理工作时，需将深海蓑鲉种群纳入考量范畴。