Reef Aquarium Species Codexery

Red lionfish

A venomous invasive reef fish with distinctive striped fins.

Last updated

Adults can reach 47 cm in length, making it one of the largest lionfish species.[1] It is native to the Indo-Pacific but has become an invasive species in the Caribbean, along the U.S. East Coast, and in Brazil.[2] Belonging to the Scorpaenidae family, the red lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a venomous species that inhabits coral reefs.[2]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderPerciformes
  6. FamilyScorpaenidae
  7. GenusPterois
  8. SpeciesPterois volitans

Named by (Linnaeus, 1758)

Close relatives

Other species of Pterois with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Red lionfish (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 159559 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2016

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

How big is it?

Size comparison: Red lionfish and a personA 0.47 m long red lionfish drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.47 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.47 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Red lionfish

Where the red lionfish has been recorded

Where the red lionfish has been recorded244 mapped locations from 45,265 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Ambon Island, BermudaAmbon IslandBermuda

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (45,265 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 60 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Biology and range

The species was first described in 1758 as Gasterosteus volitans by Carl Linnaeus, with the type locality given as Ambon Island in Indonesia.[3] The Animal Diversity Web notes its native range extends from western Australia and Malaysia to the Marquesas Islands and Oeno.[4] The same source states it was introduced to Key Biscayne, Florida when a beachside aquarium broke during Hurricane Andrew in 1992.[4] They have 13 venomous dorsal spines, 2 venomous pelvic spines, and 3 venomous anal spines.[5]

They are mainly solitary and only aggregate during courtship, generally one male with several females.[5] Females can lay up to 30,000 eggs during one mating session.[6] The species name "volitans" translates to "flying," which is thought to describe its wing-like pectoral fins.[7] Alternating white and red, maroon, or brown stripes cover the body of the red lionfish.[1]

A lifespan of roughly 10 years is typical for the red lionfish.[5]

What the specialist sources record

The Animal Diversity Web reports that Pterois volitans can grow to a maximum length of 38 cm.[4] It also notes the species has a bony ridge across the cheek and flaps that partially cover both eyes and nose.[4] The same source states that Pterois volitans consumes an average of 8.2 times its body weight per year.[4] The Animal Diversity Web describes the lionfish's colorful pattern as allowing it to blend into the background of coral branches, feather-stars, and spiny sea urchins.[4]

A 2021 news article by Marinho for Grupo Globo reports that the first capture of Pterois volitans in Fernando de Noronha occurred in December 2020.[8] The GBIF Backbone Taxonomy lists Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) as an accepted species in the order Scorpaeniformes, family Scorpaenidae.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Red lionfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "World Record Size Lionfish | What is the Largest Lionfish Ever Caught?" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Red lionfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles)", Species Profile, 2019-06-11 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Red lionfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. "Pterois volitans (Red firefish)", Animal Diversity Web. facts only, no text reused. animaldiversity.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Red lionfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Encyclopedia of Life (EOL). (2011, January 19). Retrieved 4 May 2011 from (http://eol.org) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Red lionfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Leis, Carson-Ewart, "The Larvae of Indo-Pacific Coastal Fishes", Australian Museum (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Red lionfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Phylogeography of Lionfishes (Pterois) Indicate Taxonomic Over Splitting and Hybrid Origin of the Invasive Pterois volitans", Journal of Heredity, 2018, p. 162–175; "Order Perciformes (Part 9): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Family Scorpaenidae", The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database, 2 October 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Marinho, "Quarto peixe invasor venenoso é capturado em Fernando de Noronha em menos de um mês", Grupo Globo, 28 August 2021. facts only, no text reused. g1.globo.com
  9. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Pterois volitans (taxon key 2334438). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Red lionfish (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In what year was the red lionfish first scientifically described?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1758.

From the source: “The red lionfish was first formally described in 1758 as Gasterosteus volitans by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae in which he gave the type locality as Ambon Island in Indonesia.”

2. What is the scientific name of the red lionfish?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Pterois volitans.

From the source: “The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a venomous coral reef fish in the family Scorpaenidae, order Scorpaeniformes.”

3. To which genus does the red lionfish belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Pterois.

From the source: “The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a venomous coral reef fish in the family Scorpaenidae, order Scorpaeniformes.”

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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