Red Lionfish, Pterois volitans
Red Lionfish, Pterois volitans. Fish caught from the Hillsboro Inlet, Hillsboro, Florida, December 2015. Length: 26 cm (10 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Kenneth Tse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Red Lionfish, Pterois volitans. Aquarium fish photographed in the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Naples, Florida, January 2019.
The Red Lionfish, Pterois volitrans, is a member of the Rockfish and Scorpionfish or Scorpaenidae Family, known in Mexico as pez león rojo. Globally, there are twelve species in the genus Pterois, with just this one species found in Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Note: this species has recently been shown to be a hybrid of the Common Lionfish, Pterois miles, and the Soldier Lionfish, Pterois russelii, and thus is not a valid species from a scientific perspective.
The Red Lionfish has a moderately compressed body. The Red Lionfish is highly variable in appearance but is pale red to whitish and zebra-banded with 8 broad brown to blackish bars, each one separated by several thin dark bars. The head is similarly marked with the bars at the rear being diagonal and extending into the chest. The anal, caudal and soft dorsal fins are spotted with wide margins.. Their mouth is equipped with numerous small teeth. Their head is large with a steep profile, a long tentacle over the eyes, numerous spiny projections and fleshy tabs above and below the mouth, and branched barbels under the lower jaw. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 7 rays; their first dorsal fin has 13 spines that are very elongated with featherlike membranes in between; their second dorsal fin has 11 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 13 to 15 rays and are long and fanlike. Their body is covered with cycloid scales, but the skin is smooth to the touch.
The Red Lionfish is found in all Mexican marine habitats of the Atlantic Ocean, normally as solitary individuals or in small groups while mating. It is found within coastal and off shore waters with coral and rocky reefs at depths up to 304 m (1,000 feet). They reach a maximum of 47 cm (18 inches) in length and 1.4 kg (3 lbs 2 oz) in weight. They prefer living near rocky coral reefs which gives them ample access to food and places to hide. They are generally slow-moving and take shelter during daylight hours and emerge and are active nocturnally. They are currently considered to be one of the top predators in many coral reef environments of the Atlantic Ocean. They are lie-in-wait ambush predators that consume over 50 species of fish, being limited only by the size of their mouth, swallowing their prey whole. They also consume crabs and shrimps. They are known to practice cannibalism. They rely on their unusual coloration and venomous spines for protection. In its native range they are known to be preyed upon by large bony fishes and coastal sharks; in the Western Atlantic they have few, if any, natural predators. Reproduction occurs in harems of one male and several females. They are prolific breeders and capable of reproducing monthly year-round. They are gonochoristic, sexually dimorphic, and broadcast spawners. Each female will release two batches of eggs into the water column which are immediately fertilized externally by the males and then attach themselves to intertidal rocks and corals. Each female can lay up to 30,000 eggs each mating season and 2,000,000 eggs per year. The eggs hatch into planktonic larvae within thirty-six hours and the larval stage duration is one month. They have life spans of ten years.
The Red Lionfish is a straightforward easy identification that cannot be confused with other species found in Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean with the possible exception of the Common Lionfish, Pterois miles (10 dorsal fin rays, 6 anal fin rays; small anal, caudal and dorsal fin spots).
The Red Lionfish is currently a resident of the majority of Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean. If they are not present currently, they will be shortly.
From a conservation perspective the Red Lionfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. However, their long term future is of concern due to the decline in native coral reef environments causing a loss of food sources. The Red Lionfish is native to the Indio-Pacific and is considered to be a highly invasive species to Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Their introduction is believed to have occurred in the mid-1980s and is attributed to either aquarium releases or from the ballast water of large ships, or both. As such they have become firmly established and have a limited number of documented predators. Their high rates of predation and diverse prey have been attributed to the decline in local fish densities, threating the fragile ecosystems and drastically disrupting long established food chains. They are utilized as a human food in some parts of the world. They are utilized extensively by the aquarium trade and are common in both public aquariums, and considered to be a showstopper in home aquariums. They are also a component of the diving trade pursued heavily by recreational divers. The Red Lionfish is highly venomous and their spines can inflict stings that can last for days and cause extreme pain in humans. Medical attention should be sought immediately if one is stung by a Red Lionfish. Finally, the Red Lionfish has generated a significant amount of attention from the scientific community trying to assess their impact on the ecosystems of the Caribbean. Caution: As with all Scorpionfish, the Red Lionfish should be treated as “hazardous” and released as soon as possible, being careful not to allow their poisonous spines to penetrate the skin. They are considered to be one of the most venomous fish in the Atlantic Ocean.