Pterois miles

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Pterois miles
Common lionfish at Shaab Angosh reef.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Scorpaenidae
Genus: Pterois
Species:
P. miles
Binomial name
Pterois miles
Synonyms [2]
  • Scorpaena milesBennett, 1828
  • Pterois muricata Cuvier, 1829

Pterois miles, the devil firefish or common lionfish, is a species of ray-finned fish native to the western Indo-Pacific region. It is frequently confused with its close relative, the red lionfish (Pterois volitans). The scientific name is from Greek pteron, meaning "wing", and Latin miles, meaning "soldier".

Contents

Taxonomy

Pterois miles was first formally described as Scorpaena miles in 1828 by the British naturalist John Whitchurch Bennett, with the type locality given as the south coast of Sri Lanka. [3] A molecular study of this species, the red lionfish, the luna lionfish and Russell's lionfish found that the common lionfishes in the western Indian Ocean formed a lineage, that a second lineage consisted of both the luna lionfish and Russell's lionfish, suggesting these two taxa are conspecific, while the ref firefish formed a third lineage which appeared to have genetic contributions from the other two lineages. This suggests that the red lionfish arose from hybrids between P. miles and P. russelii sensu lato . [4]

Etymology

The specific name miles is Latin for "soldier"; Bennett did not explain this, but it may be that the red colour reminded him of the red tunics worn by British soldiers in the 19th century. [5]

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. [2] Its head is less angular than that of P. volitans.

Behaviour

The common lionfish is mainly nocturnal and hides in crevices during the daytime. It feeds on fish and small crustaceans. 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. [6]

Distribution and habitat

P. miles is native to the Indian Ocean, from the Red Sea, [7] 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. [8] [9] 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. [6]

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. [10] Moray eels have recently been identified as natural predators of P. miles in its native habitat in the Red Sea. [11] Some grouper species and reef sharks are also its predators.

Hazards

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. [2]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Dendrochirus biocellatus</i> Species of fish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clearfin lionfish</span> Species of fish

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<i>Dendrochirus</i> Genus of fishes

Dendrochirus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are mostly known as turkeyfishes or pygmy lionfishes. They are native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are also popular aquarium fish.

<i>Ebosia</i> Genus of fishes

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<i>Parapterois</i> Genus of fishes

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<i>Dendrochirus zebra</i> Species of fish

Dendrochirus zebra, known commonly as the zebra turkeyfish or zebra lionfish among other vernacular names, is a species of marine fish in the family Scorpaenidae.

<i>Parapterois heterura</i> Species of fish

Parapterois heterura, the blackfoot firefish, blackfoot firefish, blue-fin lionfish, black-Foot lionfish or gurnard lionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is widely distributed on the southeastern coast of Africa as well as off Japan and in Indonesia where it is usually found in sheltered coastal bays with a soft bottom, such as fine sand or mud. It is found in depths ranging from 40 to 300 metres. This species is a sedentary fish and may even bury itself within the substrate. P. heterura flashes its brightly colored pectoral fins to startle predators and escape, but it may also use these fins to corner prey. This behavior has been demonstrated in other lionfish. This species can be found in the aquarium trade.

<i>Pterois antennata</i> Species of fish

Pterois antennata, the spotfin lionfish, banded lionfish, broadbarred lionfish, broadbarred firefish, raggedfinned firefish, raggedfinned scorpionfish or roughscaled lionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and lionfishes. It is found in the tropical Indian and Western Pacific Oceans.

<i>Pterois mombasae</i> Species of fish

Pterois mombasae, the African lionfish, deepwater firefish or frillfin turkeyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and lionfishes. It is found in the tropical Indian Ocean, typically in soft-bottomed areas of the ocean, often in conjunction with invertebrate growth. It grows to a maximum size of 20 cm, and is of moderate commercial value.

<i>Dendrochirus brachypterus</i> Species of fish

Dendrochirus brachypterus, the dwarf lionfish, short-finned turkeyfish, shortspine rockcod or shortspine scorpionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and lionfishes. It is found in the Indo-Pacific. It is sometimes found in the aquarium trade.

<i>Dendrochirus barberi</i> Species of fish

Dendrochirus barberi, the Hawaiian lionfish or green lionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and lionfishes. It occurs in the Eastern Central Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.

The Andover lionfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and lionfishes. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Pterois sphex</i> Species of fish

Pterois sphex, the Hawaiian turkeyfish or Hawaiian lionfish is a species of ray-finned fish with venomous spines belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and lionfishes. It is found in the eastern Central Pacific, specifically in marine waters off of Hawaii. It is found in seaward reefs and lagoons at depths from 3 – 122 m.

<i>Pterois russelii</i> Species of fish

Pterois russelii, the largetail turkeyfish, plaintail firefish, plaintail turkeyfish, Russell's firefish, Russell's lionfish, spotless butterfly-cod or the spotless firefish, is a species of ray-finned fish with venomous spines belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and lionfishes. It is native to the Indo-Pacific Ocean from the eastern part of Africa to the Persian Gulf.

Pterois brevipectoralis is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and lionfishes. This species is found in the Western Indian Ocean at a depth of 70 to 80 m.

<i>Pterois</i> Genus of venomous fish

Pterois is a genus of venomous marine fish, commonly known as lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific. It is characterized by conspicuous warning coloration with red or black bands, and ostentatious dorsal fins tipped with venomous spines. Pterois radiata, Pterois volitans, and Pterois miles are the most commonly studied species in the genus. Pterois species are popular aquarium fish. P. volitans and P. miles are recent and significant invasive species in the west Atlantic, Caribbean Sea and Mediterranean Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luna lionfish</span> Species of fish

The Luna lionfish, the dragon's beard fish or Japanese lionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, which consists of scorpionfishes and lionfishes. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Pterois cincta</i> Species of ray-finned fish

Pterois cincta, the Red Sea lionfish or Red Sea clearfin lionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and lionfishes. It is found in the Red Sea.

Pterois paucispinula is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and lionfishes. It is found in the Western Pacific Ocean.

References

  1. ↑ Motomura, H.; Matsuura, K. & Khan, M. (2018). "Pterois miles". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T190475A54145413. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T190475A54145413.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Pterois miles" in FishBase. February 2022 version.
  3. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Pterois". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  4. ↑ Christie L Wilcox; Hiroyuki Motomura; Mizuki Matsunuma; Brian W Bowen (2018). "Phylogeography of Lionfishes (Pterois) Indicate Taxonomic Over Splitting and Hybrid Origin of the Invasive Pterois volitans". Journal of Heredity. 109 (2): 162–175. doi: 10.1093/jhered/esx056 .
  5. ↑ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (2 October 2021). "Order Perciformes (Part 9): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Family Scorpaenidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  6. 1 2 Schofield, P J; Morris, J A Jr; Langston, J N; Fuller, P L (2012-09-18). "Lionfish: Pterois volitans/miles". Nonindigenous Aquatic Species. USGS. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
  7. ↑ Bos A.R.; J.R. Grubich; A.M. Sanad (2018). "Growth, site fidelity and grouper interactions of the Red Sea Lionfish, Pterois miles (Scorpaenidae) in its native habitat". Marine Biology. 165 (10): 175. doi:10.1007/s00227-018-3436-6. S2CID   92244402.
  8. ↑ Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea (Pterois miles). 2nd Edition. 2021. 366p. CIESM Publishers, Paris, Monaco.https://ciesm.org/atlas/fishes_2nd_edition/Pterois_miles.pdf
  9. ↑ "University Research Discovers New Alien Species In Maltese Waters". Malta Today. 2016.
  10. ↑ Siliotti, A. (2002) fishes of the red sea Verona, Geodia ISBN   88-87177-42-2
  11. ↑ Bos A.R.; Sanad A.M.; Elsayed K. (2017). "Gymnothorax spp. (Muraenidae) as natural predators of the lionfish Pterois miles in its native biogeographical range". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 100 (6): 745–748. doi:10.1007/s10641-017-0600-7. S2CID   25045547.
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