- English Name : Indian lionfish, Soldier turkeyfish Family :
- Local Name : Fanhaamas Order :
- Size : Max. 35 cm Specimen :
- SCORPAENIDAE Scorpaeniformes MRS/0057/86
- Distinctive Characters: Dorsal fin with 13 spines and 9-11 rays. Anal fin with 3 spines and 6 rays. Pectoral fin with 13-15 rays. Pectoral fins extending well beyond caudal fin base, the upper rays plume-like. Scales cycloid and small. In adults, many spinules on bones below eye.
- Colour: Reddish or tan grey, with numerous thin dark bars on body and head. Tentacle above eye occasionally faintly banded. Dark spots on fins.
- Habitat and Biology: Benthic, to about 60 m.
- Distribution: Indian Ocean.
- Remarks: Pterois miles was identified as P. volitans (Linnaeus) in the Catalogue of Fishes of the Maldives Vol. 1, page 136. Most ichthyologists now consider P. - miles and P. volitans to be sibling species, the former limited to the Indian Ocean, the latter found in the Pacific. However, this distinction is currently under review.