Common lionfish
Pterois volitans
Illustration: Bloom by Day
Banded red and cream, with fan pectorals whose rays run on past the membrane and a crown of long venomous dorsal spines. It hangs under ledges by day, drifts out at dusk with its fins spread, and is not afraid of you — which is the problem.
how to recognise it
- irregular reddish bands on a white to cream background
- a first dorsal fin with very long spines, the membranes transparent with rows of dark spots
- very long fan-like pectoral fins, the rays extending well beyond the membranes
- the lateral line usually marked with a row of white spots
- a fleshy antenna above the eye and numerous fleshy appendages on the head
- the fin spines are highly venomous and the wound is excruciating — look, do not touch
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-15. Our wording, their facts. Max size 38 cm TL.
facts
- habitat
- reef
- size
- ~28 cm, to 38 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (38 cm TL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 39 at 1 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
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A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
no QLD rule listed — check before you dive
no NSW rule listed — check before you dive
no closed season recorded for this species — that is not the same as open; check the official page
Rules checked 2026-10-13 against qld.gov.au
Rules change. Check before you dive.
Occurrence data: Atlas of Living Australia (ala.org.au), CC-BY 4.0.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.