Devil Firefish, Common Lionfish

Type Description

The common lionfish grows up to 35 cm (14 in) in length. The dorsal fin has 13 long, strong spines and 9-11 soft rays, and the anal fin has three long spines and six or seven soft rays. The dorsal fin appears feathery and the pectoral fins are wing-like with separate broad, smooth rays. These fish vary in colour from reddish to tan or grey and have numerous thin, dark, vertical bars on their heads and bodies. Its head is less angular than that of P. volitans.

Habitat

"P. miles is native to the Indian Ocean, from the Red Sea, to South Africa, and to Indonesia. Recorded first in 1991 in the Mediterranean Sea off Israel, following entry via the Suez Canal, it is now common in the eastern Basin, with recent observations in the Sicily channel. It is also now present off the east coast of the United States and in the Caribbean Sea where is regarded as an invasive species.

It is very similar in appearance to P. volitans, which does not occur in the Red Sea. P. miles is usually found in areas with crevices or lagoons, often on the outer slopes of coral reefs. "

Reproductive Information

The asynchronous spawning and the consequent low productivity in a single spawning event, the strategy of depositing eggs in a gelatinous mass, thereby increasing sperm concentration and facilitating fertilization to balance, result in the transportation of fertilized floating egg masses to distant locations through currents (Hare and Whitfield, 2003; Morris and Whitfield, 2009; Ahrenholz and Morris, 2010; Morris et al., 2011).

Lifecycle

Nutrition Information

It feeds on fish and small crustaceans.

General Impact Information

The fin spines are highly venomous and have caused death to humans in some reported cases. Despite this, a sting from this species is rarely fatal to humans. Nevertheless, a sting can cause extreme pain, vomiting, convulsion, minor paralysis, and breathing difficulties. Therefore, immediate emergency medical attention is strongly recommended, even for healthy adults who have been stung, as some people are more sensitive to the venom than others after being stung, and symptoms and reactions from the venom vary in severity from person to person.

General Management Information

"In order to combat lionfish, first of all, public awareness should be raised and ecological lion for building/increasing resilience fish consumption is encouraged and added research on new products with high value on a continuously selective and violent a hunting pressure must be created, and in order to achieve this. commercial fishing infrastructure with private licenses should be developed
(specialized basket fishing gear, underwater robots, etc.), maintain and increase species diversity in the ecosystem to reduce hunting pressure on existing species/ corrective measures should be introduced."

General Pathway Information

This species migrated to the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.

Notes

The common lionfish is mainly nocturnal and hides in crevices during the daytime. It has few predators, probably because of its venomous spines, but larger lionfish do prey on smaller ones. Moray eels have shown resistance to the spines and it was reported that lion fish are included in their diet. The bluespotted cornetfish (Fistularia commersonii) has been shown to feed on it, as also do groupers in the Bahamas.

References