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Photo‐identification as a simple tool for studying invasive lionfish Pterois volitans populations
Author(s) -
Chaves L. C. T.,
Hall J.,
Feitosa J. L. L.,
Côté I. M.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/jfb.12857
Subject(s) - biology , invasive species , identification (biology) , fishery , zoology , ecology
Photo‐tagging, i.e. using a specific software to match colour patterns on photographs, was tested as a means to identify individual Indo‐Pacific Pterois volitans to assist with population and movement studies of this invasive species. The stripe pattern on the flank of adult P. volitans ( n = 48) was the most individually distinctive of three body regions tested, leading to correct individual identification on 68 and 82% of tests with a single and two images of the reference individual, respectively. Photo‐tagging is inexpensive, logistically simple and can involve citizen scientists, making it a viable alternative to traditional tagging to provide information on P. volitans distribution, movement patterns and recolonization rates after removals.