Species Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758)

Museums

Regional Maps

External Links

• Gasterosteus volitans Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundem classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiae : Laurentii Salvii Vol. 1 10, 824 pp. [296].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown No type known, Ambon Island, Indonesia
  Comment: a specimen labelled "syntype" BMNH 1853.11.12.9 is not Pterois volitans (see Allen & Erdmann 2008: 137).
• Pterois volitans castus Whitley, G.P. 1951. Studies in Ichthyology No. 15. Records of the Australian Museum 22(4): 389-408 figs 1-14 [406, fig. 14].

  Type data:

   Holotype AM I.12941, Port Hedland, WA.

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Schultz, E.T. 1986. Pterois volitans and Pterois miles: two valid species. Copeia 1986(3): 686-690 [686]
• Paxton, J.R., Hoese, D.F., Allen, G.R. & Hanley, J.E. (eds) 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Pisces: Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 7 665 pp. [447]

 

Generic Combinations

• Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758). —
  Desmarest, E. 1856. Reptiles et poissons. 1-360 +1-62, pls 1-48 in Chenu, J.G. Encyclopédie d'histoire naturelle; ou, Traité complet de cette science d'après les travaux des naturalistes les plus éeminents de toutes les époques, etc.... par le Dr. Chenu. Vol. 19 1-360 +1-62, pls 1-48. [215]

 

Miscellaneous Literature Names

• Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828) [misidentification, species restricted to Indian Ocean]. —
  McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part III. Records of the Australian Museum 5: 329–436 [390]
• Macrochyrus lunulata (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843) [misidentification]. —
  Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [56]
• Pterois lunulata Temminck & Schlegel, 1843 [misidentification]. —
  McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part III. Records of the Australian Museum 5: 329–436 [390]

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Rottnest Island, WA (32º00´S) to Jervis Bay, NSW (35º03´S), Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island; tropical, east-Indo-west-central Pacific; various studies have shown that this species is distinct from the Indian Ocean species Pterois miles, found in coastal regions of the Indian Ocean, but P. volitans occurs at Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling Islands) in the Indian Ocean.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Timor Transition (1), Lord Howe Province (14), Timor Province (2), Norfolk Island Province (21), Cocos (Keeling) Island Province (22), Christmas Island Province (23), Northern Shelf Province (25), Northwest Shelf Transition (26), Northwest Shelf Province (27), Central Western Shelf Transition (28), Central Western Shelf Province (29), Northwest Transition (3), Southwest Shelf Transition (30), Southeast Shelf Transition (37), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39), Northwest Province (4), Northeast Shelf Province (40), Northeast Shelf Transition (41), Central Western Transition (5)

Other Regions

Coral Sea Islands Territory, Territory of Ashmore & Cartier Islands, Torres Strait Islands terrestrial, marine & freshwater

Distribution References

Ecological Descriptors

Benthic, coral reef, inshore, rock reef.

Extra Ecological Information

1-128m

 

General References

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. [76]

Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp. [67]

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2008. Pterois andover, a new species of scorpionfish (Pisces: Scorpaenidae) from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology [formerly Aqua, Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology] 13(3-4): 127-138 [137]

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp. [223]

Allen, G.R. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1994. Fishes of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 412: 1-21 [8]

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls. [48]

Allen, G.R. Cross, N.J., Hoese, D.F. & Bray, D.J. 2006. Pteroinae. pp. 877-880 in Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. Fishes. In, Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 35. Volume 35 Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp. [880]

Choat, J.H., van Herwerden, L., Robbins, W.D., Hobbs, J.P. & Ayling, A.M. 2006. A report on the ecological surveys undertaken at Middleton and Elizabeth Reefs, February 2006. Report by James Cook University to the Department of the Environment and Heritage. 65 pp. [52]

Freshwater, D.W., Hamner, R.M., Parham, S. & Wilber, A.E. 2009. Molecular evidence that the lionfishes Pterois miles and Pterois volitans are distinct species. Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science 125(2): 39-46

Fricke, R., Kulbicki, M. & Wantiez, L. 2011. Checklist of the fishes of New Caledonia, and their distribution in the Southwest Pacific Ocean (Pisces). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde. Serie A (Biologie) Neue Serie 4: 341-463 [378]

Hutchins, J.B. 2001. Checklist of the fishes of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 63: 9-50 [27]

Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp. [44]

Johnson, J.W. 1999. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 43(2): 709-762 [727]

Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp. [114]

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp. [90]

Larson, H.K. & Williams, R.S. 1997. Darwin Harbour fishes: a survey and annotated checklist. pp. 339-380 in Hanley, H.R., Caswell, G., Megirian, D. & Larson, H.K. (eds). The Marine Flora and Fauna of Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia. Proceedings of the Sixth International Marine Biology Workshop. Darwin : Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 466 pp. [353]

Mandrytsa, S.A. 2001. Lateral Line System and Classification of Scorpaenoid Fishes (Scorpeaniformes: Scorpaenidei). Perm : Perm State Univ. Press pp. 1-393. [275]

McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part III. Records of the Australian Museum 5: 329–436 [390] (as P. lunulata and as P. kodipungi and P. miles)

Oxley, W.G., Ayling, A.M., Cheal, A.J. & Osborne, K. 2004. Marine surveys undertaken in the Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve, December 2003. Townsville : Australian Institute of Marine Sciences 64 pp. [50]

Paxton, J.R., Hoese, D.F., Allen, G.R. & Hanley, J.E. (eds) 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Pisces: Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 7 665 pp. [447]

Poss, S.G. 1999. Families Scorpaenidae, Caracanthidae, Aploactinidae. pp. 2291-2358 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790. [2332]

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs. [80]

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1984. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls. [92]

Schultz, E.T. 1986. Pterois volitans and Pterois miles: two valid species. Copeia 1986(3): 686-690 [686]

Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [56] (2175, 2176 and 2177 as Macrochyrus lunulata 2175)

 

Common Name References

Coleman, N. 1981. Australian Sea Fishes North of 30°S. Lane Cove, NSW : Doubleday Australia Pty Ltd 297 pp. [50] (Fire Fish)

Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Queensland Government, Co-ordinator General’s Department 640 pp. [250] (Butterfly-cod, Featherfins, Scorpion-cod, Turkey-fish, Zebrafish)

Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp. [126] (Red Firefish)

Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp. [114] (Lionfish)

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp. [90] (Common Lionfish)

Poss, S.G. 1999. Families Scorpaenidae, Caracanthidae, Aploactinidae. pp. 2291-2358 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790. [2332] (FAO) (Lionfish)

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs. [80] (Turkeyfish)

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1984. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls. [92] (Ornate Butterfly-cod)

Seafood Services Australia 2008. Australian Fish Names Standard. http://www.fishnames.com.au/. (Common Lionfish)

Whitley, G.P. 1963. Dangerous Australian fishes. Proceedings of the First International Convention on Life Saving Techniques, Supplement to the Bulletin of the Post Graduate Committee in Medicine University of Sydney. 41-64 pp. [59] (Butterfly Cod)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
06-May-2015	SCORPAENIFORMES	30-Apr-2015	MODIFIED	Dr Dianne Bray (NMV) Dr Doug Hoese (AM) Dr Matthew Lockett (AM)
		27-Jul-2010	MODIFIED