28 photos - 4 species
Introduction
There are 5 genera and over twenty species.
Among the scorpion fish, the lionfish are the most spectacular.
They have very long dorsal fin rays and greatly enlarged pectoral fins.
All species have venomous spines and a sting causes extreme pain,
followed by numbness.
Depending on the species, they grow to between 12 and 40 centimetres in length.
Dendrochirus brachypterus
Dwarf lionfish, Short-finned turkeyfish, Shortspine rockcod
or Shortspine scorpionfish
Maximum length: 17 cm
Depth: 2 - 30 metres
About 10 brown bands in the pectoral fin.
They are found in lagoons on reef tops, coastal reefs and in seagrass beds.
Photos 1 - 2 Johnny: Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi
Photo 3 Astrid: Hurghada Egypt
Photo 4 Johnny: Hurghada Egypt
Dendrochirus zebra
Zebra turkeyfish or Zebra lionfish
Maximum length: 20 cm
Depth: 3 - 80 m
Hardly differs from the dwarf lionfish, shorter fin rays divided pectoral fin rays.
Photos 1 - 5 Johnny: Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi
Pterois miles
Devil firefish or Common lionfish
Maximum length : 40 cm
Depth: 2 - 60 m
A widespread species.
Mostly solitary, but can also be seen in groups.
Photo 1 Astrid Bonaire Caribbean
Photo 2 Johnny: Bonaire Caribbean
Photo 3 Johnny: El Qesir Egypt
Photos 4 - 5 Astrid: Bangka Island North Sulawesi
Photos 6 - 7 Astrid: Hurghada Egypt
Photos 8 - 14 Johnny: Hurghada Egypt
Pterois radiata
Clearfin lionfish, Tailbar lionfish, Radiata lionfish, Fireworks fish
or Radial firefish
Maximum length: 24 cm
Depth: 3 - 30 m
A common species in the lagoons and outer reefs.
Eats mainly small crabs and shrimps.
Photos 1 + 3 - 5 Johnny: Hurghada Egypt
Photo 2 Johnny: Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi