Lionfish

Scientific name: Pterois volitans (Linnaeus)

Common names: Lionfish, lion fish, zebrafish, firefish, turkeyfish, red lionfish, butterfly cod, ornate butterfly-cod, peacock lionfish, red firefish, scorpion volitans

Native To: Pacific Ocean

Date of U.S. Introduction: 1992

Images: Google

Videos: Pterois volitans (or click Play button below) and Google Videos

Means of Introduction: Aquarium trade

Impact: Preys on native species; has venomous spines

Current U.S. Distribution:

• Current Lionfish Sightings Distribution (updated daily)
• NAS Database map

Management Plans: Aquatic Species / Lionfish

Selected Internet Resources:

• Federal Government
• State Government
• University/Academic
• International
• Organizations

Lionfish
Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Controls

Pterois volitans
Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
Taxonomy

Biology, Ecology, Control and Management of the Invasive Indo-Pacific Lionfish: An Updated Integrated Assessment (Dec 2009; PDF | 3.53 MB)
DOC. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Taxonomy; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls

Lionfish
DOC. NOAA. Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Habitat; Distribution; Special Note: Lionfish Fact Sheet (PDF | 133 KB)

Lionfish Discovered along the South Atlantic Coast: A Curiosity…or a Wake up Call?
DOC. NOAA. National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science.
Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution; Controls

Pterois volitans Article Citation Search - AGRICOLA Database
USDA. National Agricultural Library.
Research; Special Note: NAL Catalog Search (resources)

Lionfish! (PDF | 218 KB)
DOI. FWS. New Jersey Field Office.
Photographs; Introduction History

Pterois volitans - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
DOI. USGS. Southeast Ecological Science Center.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution; Special Note: Distribution maps and collection information (State and County)

Pterois volitans - Indian River Lagoon Species Inventory
Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Illustrations; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution

First-Known Lionfish Caught in Florida's Gulf Coast Waters
Florida Fish aend Wildlife Conservation Commission. Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts

The Lionfish Invasion
Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Habitat

Lionfish: The Next Potential Threat to the Eastern Seaboard of the United States (PDF | 386 KB)
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Saltwater Recreational Fishing License Program.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution

Marine Invaders: The Lionfish (PDF | 422 KB)
University of Florida. IFAS Extension. Collier County.
Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution

Red Lionfish - Biological Profiles
University of Florida. Florida Museum of Natural History. Ichthyology Department.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Habitat; Distribution

Invasive Species: Red Lionfish (PDF | 198 KB)
University of Georgia. Marine Extension Service.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Habitat

Pterois volitans
University of Michigan. Museum of Zoology. Animal Diversity Web.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion

Lionfish - Introduced Species Summary Project
Columbia University. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Controls

Aquatic Invaders: Red Lionfish (PDF | 571 KB)
National Sea Grant College Program; Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls

Lionfish
Cayman Islands Government.
Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts

Red lionfish - Species Summary
FishBase.org.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion

Pterois volitans (fish) - ISSG Global Invasive Species Database
World Conservation Union. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Controls

St. Eustatius National Marine Park Lionfish Response Plan (Jul 2009; PDF | 2.52 MB)
St. Eustatius National Parks (Netherlands Antilles).
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Distribution; Controls

Jaws It's Not, But New US resident Is No Pal (Mar 22, 2002)
Christian Science Monitor.
Introduction History; Photographs

Biological invasion of the Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans along the Atlantic coast of North America (Vol. 235: 289-297, 2002; PDF | 494 KB)
Marine Ecology Progress Series.

Geographic extent and chronology of the invasion of non-native lionfish (Pterois volitans [Linnaeus 1758] and P. miles [Bennett 1828]) in the Western North Atlantic and Caribbean Sea (2009; PDF | 2.70 MB)
Aquatic Invasions.
Introduction History; Distribution

The Bahamas: Stopping the Lionfish
Nature Conservancy.
Introduction History; Impacts; Habitat

Lionfish Research Program
Reef Environmental Education Foundation.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts; Habitat