Sarhan Hanaa, Bshary Redouan
Institution of Biology, University of Neuchatel, Emile-Argand 11, Neuchatel 2000, Switzerland.
R Soc Open Sci. 2021 Sep 15;8(9):210828. doi: 10.1098/rsos.210828. eCollection 2021 Sep.
Lionfish are common piscivores in the Indo-Pacific and invasive in the Caribbean. A fin flaring pattern, involving a rapid undulation of the caudal fin and sequential turning of both pectoral fins, was described in zebra lionfish as a signal to initiate cooperative hunting, and it was hypothesized that such hunting tactics may also exist in other lionfish species and contribute to their successful invasion in the Caribbean. Here, we investigated one of those invasive species, , in its natural range in the Red Sea. We did not observe evidence for cooperative hunting in the field. We complemented field observations with a laboratory experiment aimed at inducing subjects to recruit partners for cooperative hunts, exposing subjects to inaccessible prey in transparent housing as well as to a potential partner. We regularly observed the fin flaring pattern, but importantly, it was not directed at the partner. Thus, rather than being a signal, the fin flaring movement pattern seems to be a swimming mode in a confined environment. Furthermore, the two lionfish did not aggregate at the prey housing, reinforcing the field results that this species in the Red Sea does not depend on cooperation to hunt fish.
狮子鱼是印度-太平洋地区常见的食肉鱼类，在加勒比海属于入侵物种。在斑马狮子鱼中，一种鳍展开模式被描述为发起合作捕猎的信号，这种模式包括尾鳍的快速摆动和两个胸鳍的相继转动。据推测，这种捕猎策略可能也存在于其他狮子鱼物种中，并促成了它们在加勒比海的成功入侵。在此，我们对其中一种入侵物种—— ，在其红海的自然分布范围内进行了调查。我们在野外没有观察到合作捕猎的证据。我们通过一项实验室实验对野外观察进行补充，该实验旨在促使实验对象招募伙伴进行合作捕猎，将实验对象置于透明容器中，使其接触到无法获取的猎物以及一个潜在的伙伴。我们经常观察到鳍展开模式，但重要的是，它并非针对伙伴。因此，鳍展开运动模式似乎不是一种信号，而是在受限环境中的一种游泳方式。此外，两条狮子鱼并未在猎物容器处聚集，这进一步证实了野外观察的结果，即红海的这种狮子鱼物种在捕猎时不依赖合作。
