Pterois sphex
Pterois sphex | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
Family: | Scorpaenidae |
Genus: | Pterois |
Species: | P. sphex
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Binomial name | |
Pterois sphex D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1903
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Pterois sphex, the Hawaiian turkeyfish or Hawaiian lionfish is a species of
and lagoons at depths from 3 – 122 m.Taxonomy
Pterois sphex was first formally
Description
Pterois sphex has 13 spines and 11 or 12 soft rays in its
Distribution and habitat
Pterois sphex is found in the eastern central Pacific where it is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.[1] It is found at depths between 3 and 122 m (9.8 and 400.3 ft) in lagoon and seaward reefs.[4]
Biology
Pterois sphex spends the day hiding underneath ledges and in caves, emerging at night to feed on smaller fishes and crustaceans.[4] They use their fins to shift the sand or mud on the seabed to reveal any diurnal prey resting in the substrate. They are solitary fishes which only gather for mating, although they have been known to hunt cooperatively too. Despite being solitary they are not thought to defend a home range from other Hawaiian lionfishes.[5]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Pterois". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (2 October 2021). "Order Perciformes (Part 9): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Family Scorpaenidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ a b c d Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Pterois sphex" in FishBase. February 2022 version.
- ^ a b Perry, C. (2019). ""Pterois sphex" (On-line)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 12 March 2022.