Unlike other members of the extended scorpionfish family, leaffish are a solitary species. However, they do look remarkably similar to certain members of the waspfish family. Like all scorpionfish, both leaffish and waspfish have prominent spines along a single dorsal fin, which contain a toxic venom. Both have a highly flattened body and by flexing their pectoral fins they can wave from side to side, looking for all the world like a leaf blowing in the wind.
Leaffish can be brightly coloured but tend to sit on the reef amongst similar coloured corals so they blend into the background. This allows them to be sneaky predators. Divers often say you can sniff out a member of the scorpionfish family whenever you spot a cave or crevice full of glassy sweepers. As those little fish are a favoured delicacy you're nearly always bound to find one in the vicinity. A leaffish or two will settle right in the middle of a cloud of them, swaying gently from side to side, until one moves close enough to be nabbed.
Waspfishes may look remarkably similar but they are mostly bottom dwellers and are seen sitting in rubble patches or amongst blades os seagrass. Their behaviour patterns are similar to leaffish, which is why they are often mistaken for them.
