Data from: Genetic connectivity of Lionfish (Pterois volitans) in marine protected areas of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Lionfish (<i>Pterois volitans</i>) have rapidly invaded the tropical Atlantic and spread across the wider Caribbean in a relatively short period of time. Because of its high invasion capacity, we used it as a model to identify the connectivity among nine marine protected areas (MPAs) situated in four countries in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.<span class="MsoBookTitle"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>This study provides evidence of local genetic differentiation of <i>P. volitans</i>in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>A total of 475 lionfi</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>s</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>h samples were characterized with 12 microsatellites, with 6 to 20 alleles per locus. Departures from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) were found in 10 of the 12 loci, all caused by heterozygous excess. Moderate genetic differentiation was observed between Chiriviche, Venezuela and Xcalak , México localities (F_ST= 0.012), and between the Los Roques and Veracruz (F_ST= 0.074) sites. STRUCTURE analysis found that four genetic entities best fit our data. A unique genetic group in the Gulf of Mexico may imply that the lionfish invasion unfolded both in a counter-clockwise manner in the Gulf of Mexico<span><span>.</span></span>In spite of thenotable dispersion of <i>P. volitans</i>, our results show some genetic structure, as do other noninvasive Caribbean fish species, suggesting that the connectivity in some MPAs analyzed in the Caribbean is limited and caused by only a few source individuals with subsequent genetic drift leading to local genetic differentiation. This indicates that <i>P. volitans</i>dispersion could be caused by mesoscale phenomena, which produce stochastic connectivity pulses. Due to the isolation of some MPAs from others, these findings may hold a promise for local short-term control of by means of intensive fishing, even in MPAs, and may have regional long-term effects.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>