Spotfin Lionfish, Pterois antennata (Bloch 1787)
Other Names: Broadbarred Firefish, Broadbarred Lionfish, Ragged-finned Firefish, Ragged-finned Scorpionfish
A Spotfin Lionfish, Pterois antennata, on Ribbon Reef #4, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, June 2006. Source: Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Summary:
A reddish to reddish-brown lionfish with many darker narrow to broad bars on the body that are narrow and oblique on the caudal peduncle, scattered dark spots on the median fins, three dark brown bars on the head including an oblique bar through the eye ending in a large spot on the lower gill cover. The Spotfin Lionfish has a long banded tentacle above each eye, and large adults have bluish-black blotches near the base of the pectoral fin.
The dorsal-fin spines are venomous and can inflict a very painful wound.
The dorsal-fin spines are venomous and can inflict a very painful wound.
Cite this page as:
Dianne J. Bray, Pterois antennata in Fishes of Australia, accessed 25 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2111
Spotfin Lionfish, Pterois antennata (Bloch 1787)
More Info
|
Distribution |
From Fremantle, Western Australia, around the tropical north to at least Sydney, New South Wales; also Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea, reefs in the Coral Sea, the Lord Howe Island region, and Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, Indo-west-central Pacific. Inhabits lagoon and seaward reefs, sheltering in crevices, holes and under ledges during the day. |
|
Feeding |
A nocturnal predator - feeds on fishes and crustaceans. |
|
Similar Species |
Pterois paucispinula differs in having relatively narrow bands on the body and more than 17 pectoral-fin rays. P. paucispinula also differs from P. antennata in having: dorsal-fin rays usually XIII, 10 (rarely XIII, 11) [vs. usually XII, 11 (rarely XII, 10 or XII, 12) in P. antennata]; pectoral-fin rays usually more than 18 (rarely 17) [vs. usually fewer than 17 (rarely 18)]; and several bands on the posterior portion of the upper pectoral-fin rays (free from membrane) (vs. bands absent). |
|
Etymology |
Scorpaena antennata Bloch 1787, Naturgeschichte der ausländischen Fische 3: 21, pl. 185. Type locality: Ambon, Indonesia. |
|
Author |
Dianne J. Bray |
|
Resources |
Spotfin Lionfish, Pterois antennata (Bloch 1787)
References
Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.
Allen, G.R. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1994. Fishes of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 412: 1-21.
Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp.
Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.
Bloch, M.E. 1787. Naturgeschichte der ausländischen Fische. Berlin : J. Morino Vol. 3 146 pp. pls 181-216.
Choat, J.H., van Herwerden, L., Robbins, W.D., Hobbs, J.P. & Ayling, A.M. 2006. A report on the ecological surveys undertaken at Middleton and Elizabeth Reefs, February 2006. Report by James Cook University to the Department of the Environment and Heritage. 65 pp.
Coleman, N. 1981. Australian Sea Fishes North of 30°S. Lane Cove, NSW : Doubleday Australia Pty Ltd 297 pp.
Francis, M. 1993. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean. Pacific Science 47(2): 136-170 figs 1-2
Fricke, R., Kulbicki, M. & Wantiez, L. 2011. Checklist of the fishes of New Caledonia, and their distribution in the Southwest Pacific Ocean (Pisces). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde. Serie A (Biologie) Neue Serie 4: 341-463.
Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp.
Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3)
Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp.
Kuiter, R.H., 1992. Tropical reef-fishes of the western Pacific Indonesia and adjacent waters. Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta. 314 pp.
Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293.
Lönnstedt OM, Ferrari MCO, Chivers DP. 2014. Lionfish predators use flared fin displays to initiate cooperative hunting. Biology Letters 10: 20140281. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2014.0281
Paulin, C.D. 1982. Scorpionfishes of New Zealand (Pisces: Scorpaenidae). New Zealand Journal of Zoology 9: 437-450.
Poss, S.G. 1999. Families Scorpaenidae, Caracanthidae, Aploactinidae. pp. 2291-2358 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds) The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790.
Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp.
Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.
Siebeck, U.E. & Marshall, N.J. 2001. Ocular media transmission of coral reef fish - can coral reef fish see ultraviolet light? Vision Research 41: 133-149.
