Scorpaena
Temporal range: [1]
Scorpaena porcus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Scorpaenidae
Tribe: Scorpaenini
Genus: Scorpaena
Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Scorpaena porcus
Synonyms[2]

Scorpaena is a widespread genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes.[3][4]

Taxonomy

Scorpaena was first described as a genus in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th Edition of his Systema Naturae. In 1876 Pieter Bleeker designated S. porcus as the type species of the genus.[2] The genus name is based on the Greek word for a scorpion, skorpaina, an allusion to the venomous spines Linnaeus mentioned in his description of S. scrofa.[5]

Species

The 65 recognized species in this genus are:[6][7][8]

ImageScientific NameCommon NameDistribution
Scorpaena afuerae Hildebrand, 1946Peruvian scorpionfishsoutheast Pacific
Scorpaena agassizii Goode & T. H. Bean, 1896longfin scorpionfishNorth Carolina, USA and northern Gulf of Mexico to northern South America
Scorpaena albifimbria Evermann & M. C. Marsh, 1900coral scorpionfishsouthern Florida, USA and the Bahamas to Curaçao and probably northern South America
Scorpaena angolensis Norman, 1935Angola rockfishMauritania to Angola, including Cape Verde
Scorpaena annobonae Eschmeyer, 1969on rough bottom at Annobon Island
Scorpaena ascensionis Eschmeyer, 1971Southeast Atlantic
Scorpaena azorica Eschmeyer, 1969Northeastern Atlantic region in European waters
Scorpaena bergii Evermann & M. C. Marsh, 1900goosehead scorpionfishBermuda, New York to Florida (USA), Bahamas, and Mexico to northern South America
Scorpaena brachyptera Eschmeyer, 1965shortfin scorpionfishsouthern Florida in USA and Panama to Venezuela
Scorpaena brasiliensis G. Cuvier, 1829BarbfishVirginia, USA and northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil
Scorpaena brevispina Motomura & Senou, 2008Japanese shortspined scorpionfishJapan
Scorpaena bulacephala Motomura, Last & Yearsley, 2005bullhead scorpionfishNorfolk Island and off Lord Howe Island, in the northern Tasman Sea.
Scorpaena calcarata Goode & T. H. Bean, 1882smooth-head scorpionfishCanada to North Carolina, USA and northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil
Scorpaena canariensis (Sauvage, 1878Canary Islands and Madeira Island
Scorpaena cardinalis Solander & J. Richardson, 1842eastern red scorpionfishnorthern New Zealand and offshore islands of the Tasman Sea
Scorpaena cocosensis Motomura, 2004Cocos Island and Galápagos
Scorpaena colorata (C. H. Gilbert, 1905)Hawaiian Islands
Scorpaena dispar Longley & Hildebrand, 1940hunchback scorpionfishFlorida and northern Gulf of Mexico in USA to Brazil
Scorpaena elachys Eschmeyer, 1965dwarf scorpionfishFlorida in USA and Antilles
Scorpaena elongata Cadenat, 1943slender rockfishMediterranean Sea and Morocco to off northern Namibia
Scorpaena fernandeziana Steindachner, 1875Desventuradas Is. and Juan Fernández Is.
Scorpaena gasta Motomura, Last & Yearsley, 2006ghostly scorpionfishWestern Australia
Scorpaena grandicornis G. Cuvier, 1829plumed scorpionfishBermuda, Florida (USA), and Honduras to southern Brazil
Scorpaena grandisquamis J. D. Ogilby, 1910bigscale scorpionfishAustralia
Scorpaena grattanica Trunov, 2006Grattan Bank, Ascension Island
Scorpaena guttata Girard, 1854California scorpionfishSanta Cruz in central California, USA to Punta Abreojos, Baja California; including northern Gulf of California and Guadalupe Island in Mexico
Scorpaena hatizyoensis Matsubara, 1943Hachijôjima, Japan
Scorpaena hemilepidota Fowler, 1938Philippines
Scorpaena histrio Jenyns, 1840player scorpionfishMazatlán, Sonora, Mexico to Chile, from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and Galapagos Islands
Scorpaena inermis G. Cuvier, 1829mushroom scorpionfishFlorida (USA), Bahamas, and Yucatan (Mexico) to Curaçao
Scorpaena isthmensis Meek & Hildebrand, 1928smooth-cheek scorpionfishSouth Carolina, USA and northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil
Scorpaena izensis D. S. Jordan & Starks, 1904Izu scorpionfishIndo-West Pacific
Scorpaena jacksoniensis Steindachner, 1866coastal water of eastern Australia, from southern Queensland to Victoria
Scorpaena lacrimata J. E. Randall & D. W. Greenfield, 2004Tahiti
Scorpaena laevis Troschel, 1866Senegalese rockfishMauritania to Pointe Noire, Congo and including the Azores, and Cape Verde
Scorpaena loppei Cadenat, 1943Cadenat's rockfishMorocco, Mauritania, Portugal, Atlantic coast of Spain, Cyprus and the Mediterranean
Scorpaena maderensis Valenciennes, 1833Madeira rockfishAzores, Madeira, and Morocco to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde and Senegal
Scorpaena melasma Eschmeyer, 1965Suriname and off Brazil
Scorpaena mellissii Günther, 1868Melliss's scorpionfishSt. Helena
Scorpaena miostoma Günther, 1877Chiba Prefecture, Japan to Pusan, South Korea
Scorpaena mystes D. S. Jordan & Starks, 1895Pacific spotted scorpionfishCalifornia, USA to northern Chile, including the Galápagos Islands
Scorpaena neglecta Temminck & Schlegel, 1843Indo-West Pacific
Scorpaena normani Cadenat, 1943Norman's rockfishMauritania to southern Angola
Scorpaena notata Rafinesque, 1810small red scorpionfishBay of Biscay to Senegal, Madeira, Azores and the Canary Islands, including the Mediterranean and the Black Sea
Scorpaena onaria D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1900western scorpionfishJapan, South Korea, Taiwan and New Caledonia
Scorpaena orgila Eschmeyer & G. R. Allen, 1971bold scorpionfishEaster Island
Scorpaena papillosa (J. G. Schneider & J. R. Forster, 1801)red rock codsouthern Australia and New Zealand
Scorpaena pascuensis Eschmeyer & G. R. Allen, 1971Easter Island
Scorpaena pele Eschmeyer & J. E. Randall, 1975Hawaiian Islands
Scorpaena pepo Motomura, Poss & K. T. Shao, 2007pumpkin scorpionfishTaiwan
Scorpaena petricola Eschmeyer, 1965Brazil
Scorpaena plumieri Bloch, 1789spotted scorpionfishBermuda, Massachusetts, and northern Gulf of Mexico to southern Brazil Eastern Atlantic: Ascension and St. Helena
Scorpaena porcus Linnaeus, 1758black scorpionfishBritish Isles to the Azores, and the Canary Islands, including Morocco, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea
Scorpaena regina Wibowo, Johnson & Motomura, 2019Eastern Queen scorpionfishAustralia
Scorpaena russula D. S. Jordan & Bollman, 1890reddish scorpionfishCuliacán, Sinaloa, Mexico to Peru
Scorpaena scrofa Linnaeus, 1758Red scorpionfishNortheast Atlantic and Mediterranean; Atlantic range from British Isles (rare) to Senegal including Madeira, the Canary Islands, and Cape Verde
Scorpaena sonorae O. P. Jenkins & Evermann, 1889Sonora scorpionfishMexico
Scorpaena stephanica Cadenat, 1943spotted-fin rockfishMauritania to Angola
Scorpaena sumptuosa Castelnau, 1875western red scorpionfishsouthwestern Australia
Scorpaena thomsoni Günther, 1880Desventuradas Is. and Juan Fernández Is.
Scorpaena tierrae Hildebrand, 1946Chile
Scorpaena uncinata F. de Buen, 1961Chile
Scorpaena vesperalis Wibowo & Motomura, 2020 southwestern Australia
Scorpaena wellingtoni Victor, 2013[7]Cove on Isla Isabela in the Galápagos

Characteristics

Scorpaena scorpionfishes have a very bony head which is armed with numerous spines. There is a horizontal bony ridge beneath the eyes with 1-4 spines. They have an occipital pit. The uppermost spine on the preoperculum is the longest. There are patches of teeth on the roof of the mouth and at its sides. There are 12 spines and between 7 and 10 soft rays in the dorsal fin while the anal fin has 3 spines and 5 soft rays. There are 16 to 21 fin rays in the pectoral fin with some of the upper rays being branched in adults. THey have relatively large scales and the scales on the body are smooth. The lateral line is complete and its scales are tubed.[9] They vary in size from a total length of 5.6 cm (2.2 in) in S. pascuensis to 45.7 cm (18.0 in) in S. mystes.[6]

Distribution and habitat

Scorpaena scorpionfishes are found in the tropical and warm temperate zones of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.[9] They are demersal fishes occurring in a number of habitats but are typically found in rocky or coralline habitats.[10]

Biology

Scorpaena scorpionfishes are solitary, ambush predators which use their cryptically patterned, irregularly shaped bodies to camouflage themselves on the substrate. They have large mouths and will eat prey up to half their own size, the vortex created by the sudden opening of the mouth drawing the prey in.[11] They have venomous spines which can inflict serious injuries on humans.[10]

Fisheries

Scorpaena scorpionfishes are caught by recreational and commercial fisheries in some parts of the world. The flesh is regarded as very palatable.[12][13]

References

  1. Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560.
  2. 1 2 3 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Scorpaenidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  3. Scorpaena Linnaeus, 1758. Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 15 January 2019.
  4. "Scorpaena". Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  5. Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (2 October 2021). "Order Perciformes (Part 9): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Family Scorpaenidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  6. 1 2 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2021). Species of Scorpaena in FishBase. August 2021 version.
  7. 1 2 Victor, B.C. (2013): Scorpaena wellingtoni n. sp., a new scorpionfish from the Galápagos Islands (Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation, 8: 30-43.
  8. Wibowo, Kunto; Motomura, Hiroyuki (2020-09-18). "Review of the Scorpaena papillosa species complex (Teleostei: Scorpaenidae) with description of a new species from southwestern Australia". Zootaxa. 4852 (5): 527–546. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4852.5.2. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 33056394. S2CID 222839284.
  9. 1 2 "Genus: Scorpaena, Scorpionfishes". Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Ocean Fishes Scorpionfish Scorpaenidae sp". Oceana. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  11. Daniel Pomfret. "Venomous Beauties: A Look at Scorpionfishes in the Home Aquarium". Tropical Fish Magazine. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  12. "California Scorpionfish". California Sea Grant. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  13. Antoni Sureda; Carlos Barceló; Silvia Tejada; et al. (2020). "Physiological and survival effects of capture of red scorpion fish Scorpaena scrofa (Osteichthyes: Scorpaenidae) by different fishing gears in the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean)". Fisheries Research. 229.
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