Meeting Abstract
The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a notoriously voracious predator and invasive species in the western Atlantic ocean. In contrast to its reputation, lionfish are plodding swimmers with no obvious advantages in predatory behavior. We performed behavioral experiments to determine the pursuit strategy of red lionfish as they pursued green chromis (Chromis viridis). Lionfish were able to capture prey with a high success rate on the first strike attempt (81%, n = 16), even though the median swimming speed of green chromis was 2-fold greater than the lionfish. Lionfish were persistent predators that employed a pure pursuit strategy by attempting to maintain a zero bearing. The swimming speeds of both fish decreased over time. The relatively slow approach by the lionfish may serve to prevent evoking evasive swimming by the prey. The prey decelerated significantly in the milliseconds before a successful strike occurred. Prey fast-start behaviors were rarely initiated prior to a strike (19%, n = 16) and were ineffective for survival. The simultaneous decrease in prey speed and rapid forward acceleration of the lionfish during suction feeding may increase the accuracy of the strike. In summary, lionfish persistently pursue their prey (up to 1 hour) and strike on the rare occurrences when the prey is moving slowing and within close proximity. Therefore, red lionfish appear to compensate for their slow locomotion with a predatory strategy that is characterized by persistence and opportunism.
