ANIMAL: Spotfin Lionfish/Broad-Barred Firefish Pterois antennata Type of Animal: Scorpionfish Habitat: Reefs, reef tops at depths of 39.37-82.021 ft, crevices, under rocks, under coral formations, lagoons, caves, under ledges, under holes, found at depths of 3.28-282.152 ft Location(s): Indo-Pacific Appearance: Laterally compressed somewhat deep body, elaborate dorsal/pectoral/pelvic fins, reddish to tan coloration w/ many dark vertical bars w/ interradial membranes of pectoral fins having multiple scattered dark-colored spots, venomous spines on dorsal/anal/pelvic fins Food/Diet: Crustaceans, fish (including each other), squid Status in Wild: Stable Conservation: Not applicable Lifestyle: Solitary or small harems of a male & 2-3 females. Juveniles found alone or in groups of 3-4. Additional Info: Called: Male Female Young: Fry Group: School Weight: Male: 2 lbs Female: 1 lb Gestation: 1.5 days Life Span: 10-20 years Body Length: Male: 1.25 ft Female: 1 ft Young: 0.47 in Tail Length: 1.8-2 in, same for both sexes Main predators are eels, cornetfish, sharks, groupers, snappers, frogfish (in fights to death), larger lionfish, other scorpionfish species, triggerfish, barracuda, & birds. Males extremely territorial w/ fights often resulting in death. Male will try to bite head of other male. Many males seen w/ parts of mouth torn off. Active at night (nocturnal). Much of the day is spent hiding. Also called Ragged-Finned Firefish, Antennata Lionfish, Antenna Lionfish, Antenna Turkeyfish, Antennata Lion, Banded Lionfish, Pterois Lionfish, Pterois Turkeyfish, Spotted Lionfish, Spotfish Lionfish, Broad-Barred Lionfish, Ragged-Finned Lionfish, Ragged-Finned Scorpionfish, Pterois Zebrafish, & Rough-Scaled Firefish. Spawning occurs year-round once a month. Female releases egg masses w/ up to 15,000 eggs. As female spawns, male releases sperm fertilizing eggs. Both sexes mate w/ multiple partners & females can release more than 2 million eggs a year making these fish very fecund. Breeding females become paler & breeding males darken. Planktonic larval stage lasts for 4-5 weeks. Juveniles reach maturity at 10.5 months old. Fun Fact(s): Considered a delicacy in parts of range & flesh is not poisonous. When disturbed, they’ll raise feathery fins as warning & flee if given chance. If cornered, they’ll charge. Dorsal/anal/pelvic fins have highly venomous spines used in defense. These spines cause extremely painful stings/puncture wounds lasting for hours to even days. Effects of venom are throbbing pain, swelling, bleeding, numbness, redness, bruising, skin discoloration, respiratory distress, nausea, & vomiting. Deaths have occurred from stings from these fish. Venom is neurotoxic. These fish can sting even if dead. Stings to people usually occur because someone was handling it.
