Red Lionfish
Pterois volitans
- Habitat
- Reef
- Max size
- 47 cm
- Family
- Scorpaenidae
The red lionfish is a venomous coral reef fish in the family Scorpaenidae, order Scorpaeniformes. It is mainly native to the Indo-Pacific region, but has become an invasive species in the Caribbean Sea, as well as along the East Coast of the United States and East Mediterranean and also found in Brazil at Fernando de Noronha.
Adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Behaviour
Solitary and mostly nocturnal, hunting at dusk and after dark by slowly stalking small fish and shrimp and corralling them with its outstretched fins before striking. Shelters under ledges or in caves by day, often out in the open at the entrance.
Similar species
Broadbarred Firefish
Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) has broad, roughly even-width reddish-brown and pale bands over its whole body and large, plain pectoral fins with no spots on the rays. Antennata Lionfish (Pterois antennata) has narrower, more numerous bars and small dark spots running along its pectoral-fin rays -- its long, branched eye tentacles are also more prominent.
Clearfin Lionfish
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.