Red lionfish
Pterois volitans
- Scientific name
- Pterois volitans
- Group
- Reef fish
- Rarity
- Common
- Where to see it
- Indo-Pacific & Red Sea, Caribbean & Tropical Atlantic
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Least concern
Did you know?
The red lionfish displays long, venomous spiny fins that it flares out to intimidate and defend itself. Accidentally introduced to the Caribbean and Atlantic, it has become a formidable invasive predator of local reef fish there.
What defines this group — Reef fish
The bony fish that live against coral and rock: the living backdrop of almost every dive.
- A bony skeleton, scales, and a rigid gill cover closing over the gills.
- A swim bladder acts as a float: they hold their depth without swimming.
- Many change colour, pattern — sometimes even sex — over the course of their life.
Other species in this group
- Ocellaris clownfish
- Blue tang
- Spot-fin porcupinefish
- Mediterranean moray
- Clark's anemonefish
- Picasso triggerfish