- Habitat
- Reef
- Max size
- 47 cm
- Depth
- 2-55 m
- 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.
Easily confused with
Side by side, with what tells them apart.
Both are banded red-brown and white, with fanned pectoral fins and tall venomous dorsal spines. Red Lionfish's pectoral rays stand free for most of their length, like feathery spines, and it grows to 47 cm. Zebra Turkeyfish's pectoral fins are joined by membrane nearly to the tips, making solid banded fans; it has a dark spot on the cheek and stays around 25 cm. Both sting.
See the Zebra Turkeyfish →
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. Broadbarred Firefish (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.
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 Clearfin Lionfish →