The latest research from the University of Hawaii and Kochi University in Japan shows that Lionfish — which have been a blight on the Caribbean ecosystem since their introduction 20 years ago — may in fact be a hybrid superfish.
This latest revelation will go a long way to explain their devastating success in colonising reefs and spreading across the western Atlantic.
According to Hakai Magazine, up until now it was thought that most species in the Caribbean were either the Common Lionfish or the Red Lionfish, which are both Indo-Pacific species. The vast majority of the intruders where thought to be Red Lionfish.
The latest research, however, shows that apparently the Red Lionfish is actually not a distinct species at all, but is a hybrid between the Russell Lionfish from the Pacific, and the Common Lionfish from the Indian Ocean.
Want to learn more? Check out the original Hakai Magazine article here, or check out the video of Red Lionfish below:
