Help ID new lionfish

[Stang408]

Hey all! I got this lion fish a few days ago and was wondering what species it is. It's about 3.5". Is it a Rusell's or Volitan? Thanks!

 

[welsher7]

volitan lionfish, the spots on the spots in the anal, second dorsal, and tailfin give it away.

 

[T-T-Trigger]

agreed. russells is also called a 'clearfin' lion fish - self-explanatory.

 

[T-T-Trigger]

just did a quick google image search and - holy cr*p!! look at this volitans they say was caught off long island!!

ever seen such a thing??? amazing. someone in the know please fill me in on this fish.

 

[Stang408]

Wow! That's a very unique lion. I want one!

 

[billsreef]

Yup, they are in the Atlantic now. Juvenile tropicals typically appear in Long Island waters during the late summer and early fall. Now that there are established lionfish in the Atlantic, we've been seeing juvenile lions along with the usual Spotfin Butterflies, permit, jacks etc. A couple of years ago, the juvie lions were so abundant that people were catching them by the dozens.

 

[T-T-Trigger]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13347646#post13347646 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by billsreef
Yup, they are in the Atlantic now. Juvenile tropicals typically appear in Long Island waters during the late summer and early fall. Now that there are established lionfish in the Atlantic, we've been seeing juvenile lions along with the usual Spotfin Butterflies, permit, jacks etc. A couple of years ago, the juvie lions were so abundant that people were catching them by the dozens.

that part is not news to me - the markings are (by a long shot) - it is something i have never seen before.

 

[billsreef]

The markings have to do with the size. That one was very small when that photo was taken, it did grow into the typical volitan colors

 

[T-T-Trigger]

I believe you, still shocked though. I have seen baby volitans no more than 3" in length (3" is being generous) and none have had markings even remotely resembling that photo.

Nowhere in the article does he mention the size of the fish - he simply says "post-larval" time and again. What length would you estimate the fish in the photograph to be?

 

[Pufferpunk]

Your new lion looks quite thin, so feed it well & not goldfish!

 

[billsreef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13349213#post13349213 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by T-T-Trigger
Nowhere in the article does he mention the size of the fish - he simply says "post-larval" time and again. What length would you estimate the fish in the photograph to be?

IIRC it was only slightly more than an inch when he caught it. Probably not more than 2 by the time that photo was taken. That's the average size range they get found at around here.

 

[eros]

I would think the water in NY would be too cold for these guys to survive?

 

[billsreef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13352757#post13352757 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by eros
I would think the water in NY would be too cold for these guys to survive?

They won't survive the winter. However, Tod Gardner (the author of that article) has told me he's seen them in healthy condition with water temps down to 58F. In their native waters they are found in deep water as well as shallow. Even in the tropics that deep water gets cold

 

[Stang408]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13349556#post13349556 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pufferpunk
Your new lion looks quite thin, so feed it well & not goldfish!

I don't know...I thought the lion looked normal. He eats like a pig until his belly bulges. He even eats sinking pellets that float near him.