Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
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Pterois

Pterois mombasae

(Smith, 1957)

Deep-water Lionfish

Not Reef Tank Suitable

Not Suitable for Fish-Only Tank

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: South Africa, Sri Lanka, India, and New Guinea and south to Australia.

Size: 6 inches (16 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits deep coastal reefs and can usually be found at depths only over 130 feet (40 m) where it feeds only on crabs.

General Husbandry: Has a whitish body with reddish brown vertical stripes with its pectoral and dorsal fins quite long. Not purposely collected for the trade.

Taxonomy:

    Order: Scorpaeniformes

    Suborder: Scorpaenoidei

    Family: Scorpaenidae

    Subfamily: Pteroinae

    Genus: Pterois

FYI: Shown here for identification only.

Should a specimen show up in the trade, which would be extremely rare, its often misidentified as the Spotfin/Antennata Lionfish, P. antennata. And if so, would require the same care as that species.

 Pterois mombasae (Deep-water Lionfish)
Photo © John Randall
Pterois miles Pterois radiata
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