- Habitat
- Reef
- Max size
- 24 cm
- Depth
- 1-30 m
- Family
- Scorpaenidae
The clearfin lionfish, also called the tailbar lionfish, radiata lionfish, fireworks fish or radial firefish, is a carnivorous, ray-finned fish with venomous spines belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and lionfishes. This species lives in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
Adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Behaviour
The shyest and most cryptic of Vanuatu's three lionfish: strictly nocturnal, hiding deep in caves and narrow crevices through the day and rarely seen fully out in the open even after dark.
Easily confused with
Side by side, with what tells them apart.
Broadbarred Firefish (Pterois antennata) has small dark spots on its pectoral-fin rays and reddish-brown bars over its whole body. Clearfin Lionfish (Pterois radiata) has no spots on its mostly clear fins, much thinner pale stripes, and a dark blotch at the base of its tail that the firefish lacks.
See the Broadbarred Firefish →
Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) is broadly banded with large, unmarked fins. Clearfin Lionfish (Pterois radiata) is much paler, with thin reddish stripes rather than broad bands, largely clear pectoral and tail fins, and a distinctive dark blotch at the base of its tail that volitans lacks.
See the Red Lionfish →