OSTEICHTHYES: SCORPAENIFORMES: SCORPAENIDAE: Pterois

Pterois volitans Author and date

Lion fish / Zebra fish / Turkey fish

Photos & text by Dr. R. G. Sprackland.

Range:

Diagnosis: A short, stout-bodied fish with huge quill-like dorsal, pectoral and ventral fins.

Description: Body 1.5 times length of head. Mouth huge, located anteriorly. Fibrous "horns" over each eye. Gill slits large. Six or seven thick reddish brown bands cross the pinkish body, numbers 4 and 5 thickest. Dorsal and pectoral fins spines extremely long (about as long as body), with limited webbing between spines, giving fins a quill-like appearance. Pelvic fins similar in structure, but not as long. Caudal fin normal, transparent, and very lightly patterned.

Natural History: A tropical inhabitant of coral reef communities, lion fishes are slow moving and conspicuous. They rely on their unusual finnage to discourage would-be predators. They inject toxin from the hollow bones of the dorsal and pectoral fins, by whipping the fins towards a target. Though divers and beach combers have reported excruciating pain that could last for several days, no known human fatalities have yet been directly linked to the venom of this fish. Divers have reportedly drowned in response to the pain of a sting, however.

Lion fishes are both active hunters and ambush predators. They feed on smaller fishes and reef crustaceans such as shrimp and small crabs.

Reproduction:

Taxonomy & Relationships:

Variation:

Additional Comments: This is a very popular species in the marine aquarium world. Few public aquaria lack a lion fish exhibit, and they are also frequently seen in restaurant and home aquaria. Not recommended in households with young children. Most of the literature dealing with lion fishes is aimed at aquarium specimen keeping.

Type Specimen:

Literature:

Hunziker, Ray. 1990. The lordly lionfishes. Tropical Fish Hobbyist 38(8): 46-56.