Lionfish --street value $39

Red Volitan Lionfish
The extravagant, spiky design of this fish should warn any swimmer to keep a distance. In fact this fish is from the family "Scorpaenidae." Now, what does that tell you? But, actually, it's the color that registers with swimming naturalists that this fish is venomous. "The audacity of the colors of this species is a clear warning sign for its exceedingly venomous spines. This species flexes its pectoral fins quickly to charge aggressors with its extended dorsal spines." It's sting is a little worse than that of a bee, though, and has never been known to be fatal.

Where to Find the Lionfish
Just the same, if you're planning a vacation on the uninhabited Island called Long Island in Willapa Bay, Pacific County, Washington, you'll want to know that the Bay is one of the few places on our West Coast that these fish have set up colonies. Along the East Coast, from Rhode Island, following the coast around Florida, and continuing along the coast to the southern tip of Texas, they dwell. It's not their usual environment and probably most of them were brought here and released. We actually know that Pterois Volitan (Red Volitan Lionfish) was introduced to Key Biscayne, Florida when a beachside aquarium broke during Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Unusual Coloring and Body
But I was telling you about their color. The Lionfish has various colors. Commonly it has red to burgundy, brown, white, and black vertical stripes along its body. Its extravagant design is due to large, fan-like pectoral fins, and tall, banded spines on the dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins. These spines are the stingers. Now, no one can really criticize abstract expressionism in art when we see the extreme in nature. In a 50-foot aquarium (their minimum) its maximum size is 1 foot 3 inches but in the ocean it can grow to 17 inches.

Lionfish Names
The Lionfish not only has lots of spines full of venom, it has many names such as the Common Lionfish, Red Firefish, Turkeyfish, and Butterfly Cod. In case you travel extensively, even though in the good old USA it is called Volitan Lionfish, in French it is poisson volant; in German Rotfeuerfisch, in Japanese Hana-minokasago, ominokasago. Now that's beginning to sound like an Indian name. The French "volant" in this case means "having the wings extended, as in flying."

Popular Aquarium Fish
The Lionfish is well-travelled. It's first noted as being around the Moluccas Island, Indonesia in 1758. The Lionfish is in Indonesia, Tonga, and the Philippines, in the tropical marine waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean. It is priced at high and low prices from those three areas ranging from $40.00 to $170.00. It's found elsewhere, as in the Indian Ocean, and lives around many Islands of the Pacific. Australia is a big favorite. A popular color sent to America is actually a black. with black markings.

Lionfish the Loner
The Red Volitan Lionfish which is described here is only mildly aggressive. It likes to be alone and only mixes with its kind when young or mating. It stays around the coral reef during the day and swims out to feed at night.

We hope you have enjoyed this time talking about the RED Volitan Lionfish.