Week Sixteen: Lionfish

Common Name: Red Lionfish, Zebra fish, Turkey fish

Scientific Name: Pterois volitans

Not-So-Fun Fact: The beautiful fins of the lionfish hide extremely venomous spines used to deter predators and capture prey. However, contact with the spines can also be dangerous to human swimmers and it is extremely inadvisable to touch or handle a lionfish.

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Scorpaeniformes

Family: Scorpaenidae

Genus: Pterois

Species: P. volitans

Description: The red lionfish is a brightly colored animal with contrasting bands of red and white covering its entire body. Its fins are very ornate and conceal sharp, venomous spines. Its coloration also gives it the common name zebra fish. The fanlike spread of its elaborate pectoral fins give it the name turkey fish. Red lionfish usually reach a size between 15-30 centimeters as adults; the largest individual ever caught and recorded was a stunning 43 centimeters in size.

Environment: The red lionfish is native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It has recently been introduced to the United States Atlantic coast and is especially problematic around the coast of Florida. The lionfish is an invasive species and is a factor in the endangered status of many species of marine life in the area. Lionfish prefer tropical ocean waters.

Reproduction & Development: Lionfish reproduce sexually by externally fertilization. This is a common practice among fish and involves females excreting ova into the water, which are then fertilized by the males’ excreted sperm cells. While solitary for most of the year, in the breeding season lionfish females are herded into harem-like groups by aggressive males. The 2,000 to 15,000 eggs hatch with the aid of marine microbes 36 hours after being fertilized and the lionfish infants become capable swimmers and predators after two to three days.

Nutrition: Lionfish are heterotrophic predators and feed on small fish, shrimp, crabs, and other marine life of a similar size. Because of the recent nature of their invasion into Florida waters, it is unsure yet whether lionfish competition will be detrimental to the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.