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Fish4Life provides everything you need to enjoy seafood responsibly. Explore information and practical tips for safe and sustainable seafood consumption, and help protect marine life by reporting undersized or illegally traded seafood.

Lionfish
Pterois miles
Λεοντόψαρο

Sustainability Status

Sustainable food source

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Help us protect our seas by reporting illegal or undersized fish that you see in markets, restaurants or fishing boats
Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable
Alien / Invasive – This species is not from this region and can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and threaten local biodiversity, so it is sustainable to eat

Legal

Minimum Size

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Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

–

Avoid Consumption Period

–

Advice for Consumption

Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable.

Archipelagos Tips

Consumption of this species helps the ecosystem as it is an alien species!
Be careful when handling them: the dorsal spine and pelvic spine can inflict a painful sting.

Common names

FR

Poisson scorpion

it

Pesce scorpione

es

Pez león

tr

Aslan balığı

pt

Peixe-leão-comum

nl

Koraalduivel

de

Rotfeuerfisch

toxicity

This species is safe to consume. The dorsal spine and pelvic spine can inflict painful sting, be careful when handling them.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

Colouration ranges from reddish to tan or grey with numerous thin dark stripes on the body and head. Tentacles above the eyes may be faintly banded. Adults have a band of small spines along the cheek and small spots in the median fins. Prominent dorsal, anal and pectoral spines.

It looks like Pterois volitans (Red lionfish) inhabits the Pacific.

Did you know?

The invasive lionfish slowly stalk their prey before swallowing them whole with a rapid suction strike.

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Carnivorous and opportunistic.
It doesn not hesitate to attack any smaller animal nearby.

habitat

Adults are found in coastal waters in muddy habitats. It usually hides during the day in hiding places such as caves. They starts to be active once it gets dark.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 43 cm
Max weight: 0.8 kg
Depth range: 0 – 85 m

breeding & Growth

They reach sexual maturity in under a year and engage in complex, year-round mating. In the Mediterranean Sea, they spawns continuously for an extended 8 to 9-month period peaking from June through November. Growth rate: Fast (k = 0.79yr⁻¹)

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 5-15 years
Max reported age: 18 years
Distribution: Native to the Western Indo-Pacific, spanning the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean down to South Africa, and Eastern Indonesia. It is also a highly successful and destructive invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea, Western Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea.

appearance changes

They can subtly alter their appearance to adapt to their environment or during specific life stages. Juvenile Pterois miles look similar to adults but have less prominent fin extensions and slightly darker, more opaque coloration.

Reproductive Cycle

Mature females release floating, gelatinous mucus egg masses, spawning up to 30,000 to 50,000 eggs every few days throughout the year.
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Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Illegal species – Fishing, selling and consumption of this species is illegal

Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation

Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Bad choice – Consumption of this species is unsustainable

Health concerns –
Can accumulate dangerously high levels of toxic substances harmful to health

Alien / Invasive – This species is not from this region and can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and threaten local biodiversity, so it is sustainable to eat

Aquafarms – You will commonly find this species coming from aquafarms