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

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

Taxonomy

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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

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

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

Characteristics

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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

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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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560.
  2. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Scorpaena". FishBase. August 2021 version.
  7. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "Genus: Scorpaena, Scorpionfishes". Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  10. ^ a b "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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