FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT LIONFISH

1 THEY HAVE LOTS OF NAMES

Long, lazy days at the beach in Italy may never be the same now that a highly venomous lionfish has been spotted off the country’s coast for the first time. The multicoloured and striped fish, of the genus Pterois, also goes by the names of zebrafish, firefish, turkeyfish and butterfly-cod.

2 THEY ARE VENOMOUS

Although lionfish are one of the most flamboyant creatures in the ocean, but they are also among the most venomous. Their sharp spines are coated in a poisonous mucus that is harmful to humans as well as to other fish. In humans, Pterois venom can cause vomiting, fever, breathing difficulties, convulsions, dizziness, numbness, paresthesia, (pins and needles), heartburn and diarrhea. Rarely, such stings can cause temporary paralysis of the limbs, heart failure or even death.

3 THEY HAVE TENTACLES

Juvenile lionfish have a unique tentacle located above their eye sockets that varies between species. It has been suggested the tentacles serve to continually attract prey; studies also suggest they play a role in sexual selection.

4 THEY ARE SPREADING

Native to the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans, lionfish have spread elsewhere, having been accidentally or deliberately introduced. Now a 12cm-long specimen has been sighted in the Vendicari marine reserve in the southeast of Sicily. The aggressive fish were already present in the eastern Mediterranean, but this is the first time one has been spotted in Italian waters.

5 IT’S AN INVASION?

The discovery — made by marine biologists from Italy’s Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, the Italian National Research Council and the American University of Beirut — was published in BioInvasions Records.