Student Stuff
Zebra Lionfish
Dendrochirus zebra (Cuvier, 1829)
A Zebra Lionfish at a depth of 13m, North West Solitary Island, New South Wales, November 2000. View larger image.
A Zebra Lionfish at La Perouse, New South Wales.
The Zebra Lionfish can be distinguished by a combination of characters including its long pectoral and dorsal fins, its colouration, the number of scales in the lateral line and the number of pectoral fin rays.
The striking colouration is a "warning" to potential predators that this species has poisonous dorsal fin spines.
The Zebra Lionfish is widely distributed throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific. In Australia it is found from Shark Bay, Western Australia, around the tropical north, and south to Sydney, New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
View a low resolution movie clip (78k) of this species. Go to the movies page for high and low resolution versions.
The Zebra Lionfish looks similar to the Dwarf Lionfish (view fact sheet). The easiest way to tell them apart is by the presence of spotted bands crossing the pectoral fins of the Dwarf Lionfish.
Further reading
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Crawford House Press. Pp. 437.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
