魔鬼蓑鲉

Q: Can you eat 魔鬼蓑鲉?

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.

Q: How big does 魔鬼蓑鲉 get?

魔鬼蓑鲉 can grow up to 38.0 cm long and weigh 1.1 kg.

Q: Where is 魔鬼蓑鲉 found?

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 since the 1990s, colonizing reefs from Florida to Brazil. Neritic, coral reefs

Q: Is 魔鬼蓑鲉 endangered?

The conservation status of 魔鬼蓑鲉 is Least Concern according to the IUCN Red List.

Q: What family does 魔鬼蓑鲉 belong to?

魔鬼蓑鲉 (Pterois volitans) belongs to the family Scorpaenidae (Scorpionfishes) in the order Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes).

Abstract

A venomous coral-reef fish native to the Indo-Pacific, the red lionfish fans out banded pectoral fins and bristles with striped, venom-tipped dorsal spines. Reaching about 38 centimetres, it ranges naturally from East Africa and the Red Sea to Japan, Australia, and the Marquesas. Since the 1990s it has become a destructive invader in the western Atlantic and Caribbean, colonising reefs from Florida to Brazil where it preys heavily on native fish and has few predators. Once its spines are safely removed, its sweet, buttery white flesh is increasingly promoted as a sustainable catch to curb invasive numbers. In its native range the species is assessed as Least Concern.