Detection of Invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans and Pterois miles) in the Gulf of Mexico Using Environmental DNA Methods

Abstract

Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) and Devil Firefish (Pterois miles) are Indo-Pacific species introduced into the western North Atlantic Ocean in the 1980s. Their range currently extends from New York to Florida and adjacent waters of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Since the original sighting in 2010 off the Texas coast lionfish populations in the Gulf of Mexico have increased substantially and negative ecological impacts are expected. Lionfish detection relies on underwater visual surveys using divers and ROVs which are expensive and not always effective. This study seeks to employ real time polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) to amplify aqueous environmental DNA (eDNA) as a highly sensitive alternative to detect and quantify lionfish. To minimize false positives and false negatives, highly specific primer sets targeting the mitochondrial DNA genome of lionfish were designed using ecoPrimers and ecoPCR. RT PCR on serial DNA dilutions indicated that the D-loop region was the best locus to amplify and quantify eDNA. Lionfish eDNA was successfully quantified in a series of mesocosms differing in volume at Moody Gardens Aquarium. Finally, the Red Lionfish presence was detected by assaying water samples collected from artificial reefs and the Flower Gardens Banks National Marine Sanctuary and adjacent reefs in the Gulf of Mexico.