Lionfish

Lore & Background

Pterois was described as a genus in 1817 by German naturalist Lorenz Oken. In 1856, French naturalist Eugène Anselme Sébastien Léon Desmarest designated Scorpaena volitans as the type species. The related genus Pteropterus was validated in 2023 after it was discovered that Pterois was not monophyletic. The genus name Pterois is based on Georges Cuvier's 1816 French name meaning 'fins', alluding to the high dorsal and long pectoral fins.

In Their Own Story

The water was still, suspended in a breathless blue twilight. I hovered near the reef wall, my bubbles rising like silver pearls toward the surface. Then, I saw it. A flash of rust and white, drifting effortlessly against the current. The lionfish fanned its spines, each needle tipped with venom, casting a shadow over the coral below. It did not flee. It watched me with unblinking eyes, an alien monarch in a kingdom it no longer belonged to. I reached for my camera, but stopped. In this moment, it was perfect and terrible—a masterpiece of evolution turned against its home. The reef around it grew quiet, the usual chatter of damselfish silenced by the predator's presence.

Reader's Guide

Lionfish have 18 venomous spines total: two pelvic, three anal, and 13 dorsal spines. According to NOAA, they have distinctive brown or maroon and white stripes, fleshy tentacles above eyes and below mouth, fan-like pectoral fins, long separated dorsal spines, 13 dorsal spines, 10–11 dorsal soft rays, three anal spines, and six or seven anal soft rays. Adults can grow as large as 18 inches. Juvenile lionfish have a unique tentacle above their eye sockets that varies between species, suggested to attract prey and play a role in sexual selection. Currently, 5 recognized species are in the genus Pterois. Molecular studies indicate P. lunulata is a junior synonym of P. russelii, and P. volitans may be a hybrid between P. miles and P. russelii sensu lato. Pterois species can live from 5 to 15 years. Females frequently release two mucus-filled egg clusters, which can contain as many as 15,000 eggs. In total, they can lay up to about 2 million eggs per year. All species are aposematic. They prey mostly on small fish, invertebrates, and mollusks, feeding most actively in the morning. They use specialized swim bladder muscles for precise control, blow jets of water to confuse prey, and swallow prey in a single motion. Moray eels, bluespotted cornetfish, barracuda, large groupers, and sharks have been observed preying on lionfish. The bobbit worm has been filmed preying upon lionfish in Indonesia. Predators of larvae and juvenile lionfish remain unknown. Parasites of lionfish are rarely observed and include isopods and leeches. Lionfish are known for their venomous fin rays. Pterois venom can cause systemic effects in humans including pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, headache, numbness, paresthesia, diarrhea, sweating, temporary paralysis, respiratory insufficiency, heart failure, convulsions, and can be fatal, especially in very young children, the elderly, or those allergic. Severe allergic reactions can include chest pain, breathing difficulties, drop in blood pressure, swelling of the tongue, sweating, or slurred speech. Lionfish are edible if prepared correctly. Native range: Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean, around shallow coral reefs, lagoons, rocky substrates, mesophotic reefs, turbid inshore areas, and harbors. They are commonly found from shallow waters down to past depth, and have been recorded to depth. P. volitans and P. miles are native from southe

Did You Know?

• Females frequently release two mucus-filled egg clusters, which can contain as many as 15,000 eggs, and can lay up to about 2 million eggs per year.
• Lionfish have 18 venomous spines total: two pelvic, three anal, and 13 dorsal spines.
• Pterois venom can cause systemic effects in humans including pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, headache, numbness, paresthesia, diarrhea, sweating, temporary paralysis, respiratory insufficiency, heart failure, and convulsi
• The bobbit worm, an ambush predator, has been filmed preying upon lionfish in Indonesia.