Chordata · chordates

Red lionfish

Pterois volitans

Scorpaenidae · scorpionfishesIUCN: Least Concern
Red lionfish
Photo: Photo by Jens Petersen, Edited by User:Olegiwit (cloned in part of fins) and Fir0002 (removed spots and noise) · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons · resized

A venomous, frilly fish that has invaded the Caribbean and the US Atlantic coast.

Fun factLionfish larvae ride the Gulf Stream as far north as Long Island in summer.

Waters
Northwest Atlantic, Tropical Atlantic & Caribbean, Indo-Pacific
Depth zone
Coral reefs, Coastal shallows & estuaries
Diet
Small fish & shrimp
Size
Up to 47 cm

Classification

Chordata › Actinopterygii › Perciformes › Scorpaenidae

  1. Kingdom Animalia animals
    • Many-celled organisms that eat other living things for energy (heterotrophs)
    • Cells have no cell walls
    • Most can move at some stage of life
  2. Clade Bilateria bilateral animals
    • Body has a left and right side that mirror each other (bilateral symmetry)
    • Head end with concentrated nerves; three tissue layers
    • Includes about 99% of all living animal species
  3. Clade Deuterostomia deuterostomes
    • In the embryo, the first opening becomes the anus and the mouth forms second
    • Includes echinoderms and chordates
  4. Phylum Chordata chordates
    • At some stage of life: a stiffening rod along the back (notochord)
    • A hollow nerve cord along the back (dorsal)
    • Slits in the throat (pharyngeal slits) and a tail past the anus
  5. Subphylum Vertebrata vertebrates
    • A skull (cranium) protecting a brain
    • Backbone or similar support around the nerve cord
    • Includes fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals
  6. Infraphylum Gnathostomata jawed vertebrates
    • Jawed vertebrates: jaws formed from gill arches
    • Paired fins or limbs
    • Includes all fishes except hagfish and lampreys, plus all tetrapods
  7. Superclass Osteichthyes bony vertebrates
    • Bony vertebrates: skeleton made largely of bone
    • Most have a lung or swim bladder
    • Includes ray-finned and lobe-finned fishes and all tetrapods
  8. Class Actinopterygii ray-finned fishes
    • Ray-finned fishes: fins are webs of skin held up by thin bony rays
    • Usually a gas-filled swim bladder for buoyancy
    • About half of all vertebrate species
  9. Infraclass Teleostei teleost fishes
    • Teleosts: symmetrical tail fin
    • Jaws that can push forward to grab prey (protrusible)
    • About 96% of all living fishes
  10. Cohort Euteleostei salmon, cod, perch & kin
    • A huge group that includes salmon, cod, and all spiny-finned fishes
  11. Clade Acanthomorpha spiny-rayed fishes
    • Spiny-rayed fishes: true spines in the front of the fins
    • Includes most familiar marine fishes
  12. Superorder Acanthopterygii spiny-finned fishes
    • Spiny-finned fishes: sharp spines in the front of the dorsal and anal fins
    • Pelvic fins usually under the pectoral fins
  13. Clade Percomorpha perch-like fishes
    • The perch-like fishes: the largest group of vertebrates
    • Pelvic fins with one spine and five rays (in most)
  14. Clade Eupercaria wrasses, groupers, pufferfishes & kin
    • A very large group including wrasses, groupers, snappers, drums, anglerfishes, and pufferfishes
  15. Order Perciformes perches, groupers & sculpins
    • Perches, groupers, scorpionfishes, and sculpins in this modern classification
  16. Suborder Scorpaenoidei scorpionfishes & kin
    • Scorpionfishes and relatives: a bony bar under the eye (suborbital stay)
    • Many have venomous spines
  17. Family Scorpaenidae scorpionfishes
    • Scorpionfishes and lionfishes with venomous fin spines
  18. Genus Pterois
    • Species in the same genus are very close relatives and often look alike.
  19. Species Pterois volitans Red lionfish

Closest relatives in the guide