What is a zebra turkeyfish?
Dendrochirus zebra, known commonly as the zebra turkeyfish or zebra lionfish among other vernacular names, is a species of marine fish in the family Scorpaenidae.
The zebra turkeyfish is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific, including the Red Sea.
What does zebra turkeyfish look like?
The zebra turkeyfish is a scorpaenid fish with vertical stripes in orange, white, and black on its body, and large, banded, fan-like pectoral fins that flare out on either side as the fish lies on the seabed. The front dorsal fin is made up of 13 tall, quill-like spines and the second dorsal fin has 10 or 11 soft rays. The anal fin has three spines and about 10 soft rays. The second dorsal fin, the anal fin, and the rounded caudal fin are transversely banded in black and white. This fish grows to a maximum length around 25 cm (10 in).
Zebra turkeyfish habitat
The zebra turkeyfish is native to the Indo-Pacific region from the Red Sea to Indonesia and eastern Australia. It is found in inshore waters down to a depth of about 80 m (262 ft). It is a bottom-dwelling species and is found on coral, pebble, and rock bottoms on reef flats, outer reefs and lagoons and also in caves, sometimes in small groups.
