Gurnard Lionfish

Parapterois heterura

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Scorpaenidae
Genus: Parapterois
Species: Parapterois heterura

The gurnard lionfish (Parapterois heterura), also called the blackfoot lionfish, is a sand-dwelling lionfish with huge, fan-like pectoral fins that flash vivid blue and black when spread. Its tail fin has a distinctive long filament.

It grows to around 20 cm and lives on sand and mud bottoms, often partly buried during the day. At night it hunts small fish and crustaceans in the open, and when threatened it opens its fins in a dramatic warning display. Its spines are venomous.

The gurnard lionfish occurs in the Indo-West Pacific, including the Philippines, where it is a rare and exciting find on sandy night dives.

Photo: Chris Spain, CC0 1.0, via iNaturalist