1. Mating: Male lionfish release sperm into the water, which is then taken up by the female's cloaca (a single opening for waste and reproduction).
2. Internal Fertilization: The eggs are fertilized internally within the female's body.
3. Incubation: The fertilized eggs develop inside the female's body within a sac-like structure. The female provides nutrients to the embryos through a yolk sac.
4. Live Birth: After a gestation period of around 30 days, the female lionfish gives birth to live young, called larvae.
5. Larval Stage: The larvae are tiny, transparent, and resemble miniature adults. They drift in the water column for several weeks, feeding on plankton.
6. Juvenile Stage: As they grow, the larvae develop spines and coloration, becoming juveniles. They settle on the seabed and begin to hunt small fish and invertebrates.
Interesting Facts:
* A single female lionfish can release hundreds to thousands of larvae at once.
* The larvae are very vulnerable to predation, but their large numbers increase the chances of some surviving.
* Lionfish have a very high reproductive rate, which is one of the reasons they have become an invasive species in many areas.
So, while lionfish don't lay eggs in the traditional sense, their offspring are born live after a period of internal development within the female's body.