Indo-Pacific lionfishes generally exhibit cryptic behaviours and so can be missed when conducting non-targeted surveys. Here, the authors report the results from targeted surveys of lionfish at Moorea, French Polynesia. Lionfish from three species (Pterois antennata, Pterois radiata, Dendrochirus biocellatus) were observed at a mean density of 267 individuals ha-1 . This is substantially higher than previous estimates from the same area (Moorea) and represents the highest reported density of lionfishes from their Pacific range. Overall, this study highlights the importance of targeted survey techniques for detecting cryptic species on coral reefs.
Keywords: Dendrochirus; French Polynesia; Moorea; Pterois; coral reefs; lionfish.
© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Fisheries Society of the British Isles.