Mero vs Peixe-leão-vermelho

Epinephelus itajara comparado com Pterois volitans

Taxonomy & Classification

Atributo	Mero	Peixe-leão-vermelho
Nome Científico	Epinephelus itajara	Pterois volitans
Ordem	Perciformes	Scorpaeniformes
Família	Serranidae	Scorpaenidae
Conservation Status	Vulnerable	Least Concern

Physical Traits

Atributo	Mero	Peixe-leão-vermelho
Comprimento Máximo	250,0 cm	38,0 cm
Peso Máximo	363,0 kg	1,1 kg
Cor	Yellow-brown to olive-green body densely covered with small dark brown spots and irregular blotches; 3–4 faint pale vertical bands on the flanks; juveniles show bolder contrasting yellow and black stripes.	White to cream body with alternating bold reddish-brown and white vertical bands; fan-like pectoral fins are banded with red-brown and white spots; long dorsal spines are striped and venomous.

Habitat & Environment

Atributo	Mero	Peixe-leão-vermelho
Tipo de Água	Saltwater	Saltwater
Faixa de Profundidade	0-100m	2-55m
Distribuição Geográfica	Tropical western Atlantic from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico through the Caribbean Sea to Brazil, and eastern Pacific from the Gulf of California to …	Native to the Indo-Pacific from East Africa and the Red Sea to southern Japan, Australia, and the Marquesas. Invasive in the western Atlantic and Caribbean …
Habitat	Neritic, coral reefs, estuaries	Neritic, coral reefs

Informações de Pesca

Atributo	Mero	Peixe-leão-vermelho
Peixe Esportivo	Sim	Não
Classificação de Resistência	9/10	—
Recorde Mundial	—	—
Nível de Mercúrio	—	—

Cuisine & Edibility

Mero

Firm, flaky white flesh with a mild, sweet flavor; harvest is heavily restricted or banned throughout most of its range due to Vulnerable status. Catch-and-release strongly encouraged.

Peixe-leão-vermelho

Sweet, buttery white flesh once spines are safely removed; increasingly promoted as a sustainable food source in Atlantic waters where it is an invasive species.

Species Overview

Mero

The goliath grouper is the largest grouper in the Atlantic Ocean. This massive reef dweller can swallow prey whole and produces a distinctive booming sound by contracting its swim bladder to ward off intruders.

Peixe-leão-vermelho

The red lionfish is a venomous coral reef fish native to the Indo-Pacific. Its ornate, striped body and fan-like pectoral fins make it popular in aquariums, but it has become a destructive invasive species in the western Atlantic and Caribbean.