| Scorpaena plumieri | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
| Family: | Scorpaenidae |
| Genus: | Scorpaena |
| Species: | S. plumieri |
| Binomial name | |
| Scorpaena plumieri Bloch, 1789 | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
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Scorpaena plumieri, the spotted scorpionfish, is a species of venomous marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the Atlantic Ocean.
Scorpaena plumieri was first formally described in 1789 by the German physician and naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch with the type locality given as Martinique. [3] The specific name honors Charles Plumier, a Franciscan friar and naturalist, who discovered this fish at Martinique. Bloch based his description on Plumier's drawing of it. [4]
It has a robust body, with a dorsal fin with 12 spines, nine soft rays, and the pectoral fin with 18–21 fin rays. Venom glands are associated with dorsal fin spines to defend against predators. It has a suborbital crest formed by infraorbital bones two and three, with one or two spines each. Under the eyes, they have fleshy plumes, known as "cirrae", with flaps of skin around the chin and head. They have wide and fan-shaped pectoral fins, the dorsal fin is continuous and notched, while the caudal fin is truncated. The maxilla reaches beyond the eyes and the mouth is terminal. It has a well developed occipital pit. It is the largest scorpion fish in the Atlantic and Caribbean oceans; the largest reported size was 45 centimetres (18 in) long, although on average, this species grows from 18 to 36 centimetres (7.1 to 14.2 in), and can weigh 1.55 kilograms (3.4 lb).
The color of this species varies from brown to black with a light background, the areas before the caudal fin are abruptly paler. The head has dark spots, the ventral surface is orange / red. Its fins have dark bands and spots, with a light background, but most often with green spots. In the middle and near the end, the tail fin has dark bars. Inside the fins of the chest, it is stained white. When it feels threatened, the pectoral fins extend and display a bright color. [5]
It inhabits the western Atlantic Ocean, from Bermuda to Massachusetts, and from the northern Gulf of Mexico to southern Brazil. It is also found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, around Ascension Island and St. Helena. They inhabit shallow coral reefs and rocky areas, moderately common from 5–55 metres (16–180 ft) deep. It remains motionless, on the lower substrate, waiting for prey to attack. [5]
Like other scorpion fish, these animals do not actively hunt, as they are ambush predators, camouflaging themselves to approach prey. It uses its large mouth as a vacuum and sucks its prey quickly, preys of this species include fishes and crustaceans. [5]
Scorpionfish use a tactic of kinematic timing [6] which is a type of technique used to fixate on prey and their general position based on the hinter's body. Scorpionfish will only attack when a prey's position would be likely to succumb to an attack. In addition to their ambush predation, kinematic timing allows scorpionfish to wait for the best possible prey option. [7]
While the reproduction of these animals is not well known, it is known that they are oviparous, with the female producing transparent or greenish eggs. [5]
Major predators of this species include the schoolmaster ( Lutjanus apodus ) and mutton snappers ( Lutjanus analis ). [5]
The spines located on the back of the fish inject venom, so these animals can pose a danger to humans. The venom has hemorrhagic, hemolytic and proteolytic activities and contains cardiotoxins, which cause a drop in blood pressure, and heart and respiratory rate. Symptoms include excruciating pain at the site, followed by edema, erythema and occasionally skin necrosis. Other symptoms include adenopathy, nausea, vomiting, agitation, malaise, sweating, tachycardia, arrhythmias, difficulty breathing and severe hypotension. The main treatment for pain is to immerse the affected limb in hot water (45–50 °C) until the pain is relieved. The LD50 for the venom of this species is 0.28 mg / kg. [8] [9]
The Scorpaenidae are a family of mostly marine fish that includes many of the world's most venomous species. As their name suggests, scorpionfish have a type of "sting" in the form of sharp spines coated with venomous mucus. The family is a large one, with hundreds of members. They are widespread in tropical and temperate seas but mostly found in the Indo-Pacific. They should not be confused with the cabezones, of the genus Scorpaenichthys, which belong to a separate, though related, family, Cottidae.
Scorpaenodes is a widespread genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. The fishes in this genus are found to the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean.
Scorpaena is a widespread genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes.
Rhinopias is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. The species in this genus are found in the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Pontinus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. The scorpionfishes in this genus are distributed in the tropical and warm temperate parts Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The decoy scorpionfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is native to the Western Indian and Pacific oceans. A non-migratory species, I. signifer can be observed in close association with coral reefs at depths of from 10 to 70 metres. This species grows to a length of 13 centimetres (5.1 in) TL. This species is the only known member of its genus and can be distinguished by its unique prey-luring behavior.
Synanceia nana, the Red Sea stonefish or dwarf scorpionfish, is a species of venomous, marine ray-finned fish, a stonefish belonging to the subfamily Synanceiinae which is classified as being within the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and their relatives. It is found in the northwestern Indian Ocean.
Pterois antennata, the spotfin lionfish, banded lionfish, broadbarred lionfish, broadbarred firefish, raggedfinned firefish, raggedfinned scorpionfish or roughscaled lionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and lionfishes. It is found in the tropical Indian and Western Pacific Oceans.
The flasher scorpionfish, or rough humpback scorpionfish is a species of venomous marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. This species is found in the western Pacific Ocean.
Scorpaena sumptuosa, the western red scorpionfish, western red rockcod, western red scorpioncod or western scorpionfish, is a venomous species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in Western Australia.
Scorpaena azorica, the Azores scorpionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. This fish occurs in the Northeastern Atlantic region in European waters. This fish is found in demersal and marine environments in subtropical waters, generally on hard bottoms. The maximum recorded length is 9.8 centimetres (3.9 in).
Scorpaena scrofa, the red scorpionfish, bigscale scorpionfish, large-scaled scorpion fish, or rascasse is a venomous marine species of ray-finned fish in the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the Mediterranean Sea, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Indian Ocean.
The western scorpionfish, also known as the neglected scorpionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean.
Scorpaena cocosensis, the Cocos scorpionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Pacific spotted scorpionfish, or the stone scorpionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is the largest species in the genus Scorpaena and, like the other species in that genus, it is protected by venomous spines.
Scorpaenopsis diabolus, the false stonefish, false scorpionfish or the devil scorpionfish, is a species of venomous marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It has venomous spines and lives in the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans as well as in the Red Sea. It is a bottom-dwelling predator that relies on its camouflage to catch passing prey.
Scorpaena brasiliensis, the barbfish, goosehead, scorpionfish, orange scorpionfish and red barbfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean. This species has venom on its fin spines.
Scorpaena jacksoniensis, the Eastern red scorpionfish, Billy Bougain, cardinal scorpionfish, coral cod, coral perch, Eastern red scorpioncod, fire cod, Northern scorpionfish, ocean perch, prickly heat, red rockcod or red scorpion-cod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the south western Pacific Ocean.
Scorpaenodes guamensis, the Guam scorpionfish or common scorpionfish, is a species of venomous, marine, ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.
The humpbacked scorpionfish is a species of venomous marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. This species is found in the western Indian Ocean.
