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Pterois volitans/miles  

Common Name: lionfish

Synonyms and Other Names: Common names: red lionfish, lion fish, turkeyfish; original combination: Gasterosteus volitans; Synonyms: Pterois cristatus, Pterois geniserra, Pterois muricata, Pterois zebra

Taxonomy: available through

Identification:

Family Scorpaenidae (Scorpionfishes)

The head is large, from 1/3 to 1/2 the standard length. Most species have numerous head spines. The dorsal fin has strong, venomous spines (VIII to XVII). The anal fin also has sharp, venomous spines (usually III). The caudal fin is usually rounded or squared, but not forked. This large family contains about 500 species.

Pterois volitans Red lionfish

The red lionfish has greatly elongated dorsal-fin spines. The membranes of all fins are often spotted. The body is white or cream coloured red to reddish-brown vertical stripes. The vertical stripes alternate from wide to very thin (with the thin stripes being more numerous) and sometimes merge along the flank to form a V-shape.

Pterois miles Devil firefish

A closely-related species, the devil firefish (Pterois miles), is similar to the lionfish. The devil firefish is found primarily in Indian Ocean and Red Sea (as opposed to the lionfish, which is predominantly a Pacific species); however, its range extends to Sumatra where the two species co-occur. Although it appears very similar to the lionfish, the devil lionfish has fewer dorsal- and anal-fin rays. The devil firefish generally has 10 dorsal-fin rays and 6 anal-fin rays; the lionfish usually has 11 dorsal-fin rays and 7 anal-fin rays. See Remarks below.

Also see Poss (1999) and Schultz (1986).

Size: 45 cm (Whitfield et al. 2007)

Native Range: Widely distributed throughout the western Pacific from southern Japan to Micronesia, Australia and the Philippines. Pterois volitans occurs throughout most of Oceania (including the Marshall Islands, New Caledonia and Fiji) east to French Polynesia.  Pterois miles is from the Indian Ocean and Red Sea, although its range extends to Sumatra. 

Lionfish sightings as of January 6, 2009.

Nonindigenous Occurrences:

Both species (P. miles and volitans) have been recorded from waters of the U.S.  Records in this account refer to both species, as each specimen has not been definitively identified by experts. 

Mainland U.S. Sightings:

Several fish were introduced into marine waters of Biscayne Bay, Florida, in 1992 as a result of Hurricane Andrew (Courtenay Jr. 1995). Several individuals have also been observed off Palm Beach and Boca Raton by divers in the mid 1990’s; and another was reportedly caught by an angler from Lake Worth Pier in Palm Beach County (Courtenay 1995). Since 2000, lionfish reports have come in regularly from divers in the West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale area (Paula Whitfield personal communication, Pura Vida Divers 2003, REEF 2008). Specimens have also been collected in waters off of St. Augustine and Jacksonville (Meister et al. 2005, Ruiz-Carus et al. 2006, Whitfield et al. 2002). In 2006, a dead lionfish (thought to be a recent aquarium dump) was found near Tampa Bay in the Gulf of Mexico (FWC-FWRI 2006). This is the only known specimen (to date) from the Gulf of Mexico. In January 2009, a lionfish was collected on a reef just off Key Largo (Lad Akins, personal communication); this is the first documented lionfish in the Florida Keys. In Georgia the first lionfish was collected on a stretch of hard bottom 40 miles off the coast in 2001 (Whitfield et al. 2002). Three other individuals were seen at the time. Since then, the species has been reported by divers and researchers using remotely operated vehicles (Meister et al. 2005, Whitfield et al. 2007). Most recently in September 2007, two lionfish were photographed in NOAA’s Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (Sherman 2007).  The first documented reports of lionfish in marine waters off North Carolina came in 2000 on two wrecks (Atlantis Charters 2002, Whitfield et al. 2002) and by 2001, lionfish could be found at eight locations (Atlantic Charters 2002, REEF 2008, Whitfield et al. 2002). Lionfish are now present at many locations off the North Carolina coast (Meister et al. 2005, Paula Whitfield personal communication, REEF 2008, Whitfield et al. 2007). The first documented report of lionfish in marine waters off South Carolina came in 2002 (Meister et. al. 2005), although there were unconfirmed sightings reported from 2000 and 2001 (Paula Whitfield personal communication). Currently in the U.S., the lionfish is more or less continuously distributed in marine waters from Florida to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina (Whitfield et al. 2007). Juvenile lionfish have been found periodically in near-shore environments off New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island since 2001; however survival of these fish is not expected due to the species' intolerance of cold winter temperatures (Kimball et al. 2004, Whitfield et al. 2002).

International/Caribbean Sightings (including U.S. Territories)

In April 2001, a lionfish was confiscated from an Agricultural Exhibition in Bermuda (Judy Clee personal communication, Whitfield et al. 2002). The exhibitor told officials the lionfish had been collected as a juvenile from a tide pool in DevonshireBay (on the south shore of Bermuda) in 2000. In October 2001, divers provided photo documentation of another lionfish off the south shore of Bermuda (Judy Clee personal communication, Whitfield et al. 2002). Since 2001, lionfish have been sighted at numerous locations around Bermuda (REEF 2008, Sarah Manuel personal communication, Paula Whitfield personal communication). In 2004, a lionfish was seen in an area east of New Providence Island in the Bahamas (REEF 2008). In 2005, the species was reported from 16 different locations in the Bahamas around Andros Island, Eleuthera Island, Great Abaco Island, Little San Salvador and New Providence Island (Paula Whitfield personal communication, REEF 2008).  Since 2005, lionfish have spread throughout the Bahamian Islands (Lad Akins personal communication, Paula Whitfield personal communication, REEF 2008). Lionfish densities from reefs off the southwest coast of New Providence, Bahamas can average >390 lionfish per hectare which far exceeds the highest densitiesdocumented for this species in both its introduced and native ranges (Green and Cote). In the second half of 2007, lionfish spread to Cuba (Chevalier et al. 2008, Pedro Alcolado personal communication, REEF 2008) and the Turks and Caicos (REEF 2008). In May 2008 a lionfish was photographed in the National Submarine Park of Monte Cristi in the Dominican Republic (Guerrero and Franco 2008). Since then, there have been over 20 additional lionfish sightings in this region (Guerrero and Franco 2008). Prior to this, lionfish were reported on dive sites in this area but Guerrero and Franco (2008) is the first confirmed report. In early 2008, a juvenile lionfish was caught in a marine park off Little Cayman in the Cayman Islands (Bradley Johnson, personal communication). At this time lionfish are also being reported from several sites in Jamaica (Ainsley Henry, personal communication). In June 2008, both juvenile and adult lionfish were photographed on two dive sites on the north coast of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.  In July 2008 a lionfish was photographed in Haiti.  The first confirmed report of lionfish in Puerto Rico was received in November, 2008. In December 2008, a lionfish was photographed on a reef in Belize.

Map of Cumulative Sightings Reports

Google Map

Ecology:

The lionfish inhabits reefs from about 10 to 175 m depth.  Most scorpionfishes are colored to camouflage them against their background.  However, the lionfish is a notable exception with its greatly extended fin spines and striking coloration.  As juveniles, lionfish live in small groups, but as adults they typically occur alone (Fishelson 1997).  Individuals are relatively inactive during the day, typically sheltering in reef crevices.  The lionfish is a nocturnal species and moves to deeper waters at night to forage.  The prey of the lionfish includes small fishes and crustaceans (Fishelson 1975; Harmelin-Vivien and Bouchon 1976), which are swept up and trapped with the extended pectoral fins.  The species is relatively quick to adapt to novel prey types, and quickly learns to avoid noxious prey (Fishelson 1997).  An increase in piscivory occurs with age (Harmelin-Vivien and Bouchon 1976).

In the U.S., the lionfish has rapidly increased in population abundance from the first reports as little as five years ago (Whitfield et al. 2007).  Lionfish are now as abundant as many native grouper species in the Atlantic Ocean (Whitfield et al. 2007).  Surprisingly, although it was thought the species' northward expansion along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. would be limited by cool water temperatures, lionfish have been observed in water as cold as 56oF off the southern coast of Long Island (T. Gardner, pers. comm.).

Means of Introduction: At least six lionfish were liberated into Biscayne Bay when a beach-side aquarium broke during Hurricane Andrew in August 1992 (Courtenay 1995).  The most probable explanation for the arrival of the lionfish population in the Atlantic Ocean is via the aquarium trade (Whitfield et al. 2002; Semmens et al. 2004).  It is also possible (but unikely) that lionfish may have been transported through ballast water of ships travelling from the Pacific Ocean.

Status: Established off the Atlantic Coast of the United States from Florida to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Also established in Bermuda, the Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Turks and Caicos.  Reported from Haiti, U.S. Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico and Belize.

Impact of Introduction: Recent research by Albins and Hixon (2008) provides the first evidence of negative effects of lionfish on native Atlantic coral-reef fishes.  The recruitment of coral-reef fishes was studied during the 2007 recruitment period (July-August) on small patch reefs in the Bahamas with and without a single lionfish.  Over the five week period, net recruitment (i.e., accumulation of new juvenile fishes via settlement of larvae) was reduced by 79% on reefs with lionfish compared to reefs without lionfish.   Stomach content analyses and observations of feeding behavior showed that reductions in native fish density were almost certainly due to predation by lionfish.  Prey items found in lionfish stomachs  included the fairy basslet Gramma loreto, bridled cardinalfish Apogon aurolineatus, white grunt Haemulon plumierii, bicolor damselfish Stegastes pertitus, several wrasses Halichoeres bivittatus, H. garnoti and Thalasoma bifasciatum, striped parrotfish Scarus iserti, and dusky blenny Malacoctenus gilli.  Initial examination of crustacean prey suggests that lionfish may also eat the juvenile spiny lobster Panulirus argus.  The reduction in recruitment of coral-reef fishes suggests that lionfish may also compete with native piscivores by monopolizing this important food resource.  In addition, lionfish have the potential to decrease the abundance of ecologically important species such as parrotfish and other herbivorous fishes that keep seaweeds and macroalgae from overgrowing corals.

Remarks:

The devil firefish (Pterois miles) is closely related to the lionfish (P. volitans). In fact, P. miles and P. volitans have been treated as the same species (i.e., as synonyms) as well as distinct species (Schultz 1986). The devil firefish is found primarily in Indian Ocean and Red Sea, but has also migrated through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Sea (Golani and Sonin 1992). The two species co-occur in western Indonesia. Although it appears very similar to the lionfish, the devil lionfish has fewer dorsal- and anal-fin rays (see Identification, above). Recent genetic work (using mitochondrial DNA) was unable to reveal whether P. miles and P. volitans are distinct species or two populations of a single species (Kochzius et al. 2003).  Hamner et al. (2007) show that about 97% of the Atlantic population of lionfish consists of P. volitans, while only 7% are P. miles.

The dorsal- and anal-fin spines of the lionfish contain a potent venom that can administer a painful sting (Steinitz 1959). Regardless, the species is consumed in subsistence fisheries of the Pacific and is a popular aquarium fish despite its venomous spines. The dangerous nature of the spines may contribute to the fact that lionfish have few natural enemies. Larger lionfish are known to consume smaller members of their species (Fishelson 1997). Other than cannibalism, there are few documented natural predators of the lionfish. Bernadsky and Goulet (1991) presented evidence that coronetfish (Fistularia commersonii) consumes P. miles.  Additionally, a few lionfish have been found in the stomachs of native groupers in the Bahamas (Maljkoviæ et al. 2008).

References

Albins, M. A. and M. A. Hixon. 2008. Invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans) reduce recruitment of Atlantic coral-reef fishes. Marine Ecology Progress Series 367:233-238.

Atlantis Charters. 2002. Lionfish in North Carolina. Atlantis Charters.

Bernadsky, G. and D. Goulet.  1991.  A natural predator of the lionfish, Pterois miles.  Copeia 1991: 230-231.

Chevalier, P.P., E. Gutiérrez, D. Ibarzabal, S. Romero, V. Isla, J. Calderín and E. Hernández. 2008. Primer registro de Pterois volitans (Pisces: Scorpaenidae) para aguas cubanas. Solenodon 7: 37-40.

Courtenay, W.R., Jr. 1995. Marine fish introductions in southeastern Florida. Newsletter of the Introduced Fish Section, American Fisheries Society 14(1): 2-3.

Fishelson, L.  1975.  Ethology and reproduction of pteroid fishes found in the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea), especially Dendrochirus brachypterus (Cuvier), (Pteroidae, Teleostei).  Pubblicazioni della Stazione zoologica di Napoli 39: 635-656.

Fishelson, L.  1997.  Experiments and observations on food consumption, growth and starvation in Dendrochirus brachypterus and Pterois volitans (Pteroinae, Scorpaenidae).  Environmental Biology of Fishes 50: 391-403.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission - Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI). 2006. First-known lionfish caught in Florida's Gulf Coast waters. [A Fish and Wildlife Research Institute press release.] http://research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=27520

Guerrero, Kelvin A. and Angel Luis Franco. 2008. First Record for the Indo-Pacific red lionfish Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) for the Dominican Republic. Aquatic Invasions 3: 255-256

Golani, D. and O. Sonin.  1992.  New records of the Red Sea fishes Pterois miles (Scorpaenidae) and Pteragogus pelycus (Labridae) from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.  Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 39: 167-169.

Hamner, R. M., D. W. Freshwater and P. E. Whitfield.  2007.  Mitochondiral cytochrome b analysis reveals two invasive species with strong founder effects in the western Atlantic.  Journal of Fish Biology 71 (Sup B): 214-222.

Harmelin-Vivien, M. L. and C. Bouchon.  1976.  Feeding behavior of some carnivorous fishes (Serranidae and Scorpaenidae) from Tuléar (Madagascar).  Marine Biology 37: 329-340.

Kimball, M.E., J.M. Miller, P.E. Whitfield and J.A. Hare. 2004. Thermal tolerance and potential distribution of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles complex) on the east coast of the United States. Marine Ecology Progress Series 283: 269-278.

Kochzius, M., R. Söller, M. A. Khalaf and D. Blohm.  2003.  Molecular phylogeny of the lionfish genera Dendrochirus and Pterois (Scorpaenidae, Pteroinae) based on mictochondrial DNA sequences.  Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 28: 396-403.

Maljkoviæ, A., T. E. Van Leeuwen and S. N. Cove. 2008.  Predation on the invasive red lionfish, Pterois volitans (Pisces: Scorpaenidae), by native groupers in the Bahamas.  Coral Reefs 27: 501.

Meister, H.S., D.M. Wyanski, J.K. Loefer, S.W. Ross, A.M. Quatrini and K.J. Sulak. 2005. Further evidence for the invasion and establishment of Pterois volitans (Teleostei: Scorpaenidae) elong the Atlantic Coast of the United States. Southeastern Naturalist 4: 193-206.

Poss, S. G.  1999.  Scorpaenidae.  Scorpionfishes.  Pages 2291-2352 In: Carpenter, K. E. and V. Niem (Eds.)  FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes.  The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific.  Vo. 4.  Bony fishes part 2 (Mugilidae to Carangidae).  FAO, Rome.

Pura Vida Divers. 2003. Lionfish sighting in West Palm Beach. Pura Vida Divers.

Reef  Environmental Education Foundation (REEF). 2008. Exotic species sighting program and volunteer survey project database. Accessed March 10, 2008.

Ruiz-Carus, R., R. E. Matheson, Jr., D. E. Roberts, Jr., and P. E. Whitfield. 2006. The western Pacific red lionfish, Pterois volitans (Scorpaenidae), in Florida: Evidence for reproduction and parasitism in the first exotic marine fish established in state waters Biological Conservation. 128: 348-390.

Schultz, Eric T. 1986. Pterois volitans and Pterois miles: two valid species. Copeia 1986(3): 686-690.

Semmens, B. X., E. R. Buhle, A. K. Salomon, C. V. Pattengill-Semmens.  2004.  A hotspot of non-native marine fishes:  evidence for the aquarium trade as an invasion pathway.  Marine Ecology Progress Series 266: 239-244.

Sherman, B. 2007. Invasive lionfish species confirmed in Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA Press Release October 12, 2007. http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/press/2007/pr101207.html

Steinitz, H. 1959. Observations on Pterois volitans (L.) and its venom. Copeia 1959(2): 158-160.

Whitfield, P., T. Gardner, S.P. Vives, M.R. Gilligan, W.R. Courtenay, Jr., G.C. Ray, and J.A. Hare. 2002. Biological invasion of the Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans) along the Atlantic coast of North America. MS submitted to Marine Ecology Progress Series.

Whitfield, P.E., J.A. Hare, A.W. David, S.L. Harter, R.C. Munoz, C.M. Addison. 2007. Abundance estimates of the Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans/miles complex in the Western North Atlantic. Biological Invasions. 9(1): 53-64.

Other Resources:

Smithsonian Marine Station, Fort Pierce, FL

Florida Museum of Natural History

FishBase (Lionfish)

FishBase (Devil firefish)

NOAA Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research lionfish Research



FishBase Fact Sheet

Author: Schofield, P. J., J. N. Langston and P. L. Fuller

Revision Date: 1/6/2009

Citation for this information:
Schofield, P. J., J. N. Langston and P. L. Fuller. 2009. Pterois volitans/miles. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=963> Revision Date: 1/6/2009

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