| Spinycheek scorpionfish | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
| Family: | Scorpaenidae |
| Genus: | Neomerinthe |
| Species: | N. hemingwayi |
| Binomial name | |
| Neomerinthe hemingwayi Fowler, 1938 | |
The spinycheek scorpionfish (Neomerinthe hemingwayi), also known as Hemingway's scorpionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
The spinycheek scorpionfish was first formally described in 1935 by the American ichthyologist Henry Weed Fowler with the type locality given as around 70 miles southeast of Cape May, New Jersey, USA. [2] Fowler described a new genus, Neomerinthe, and designated this species as its type species. [3] The specific name honours the American author and journalist Ernest Hemingway, Fowler stayed with Hemingway in Cuba in 1934 to study billfishes and they became friends. [4] Fowler named the species to mark his appreciation of the help Hemingway gave Fowler for his work on the fishes of the Gulf Stream, although Hemingway was not involved in the collection of this species. [5]
The spinycheek scorpionfish has an elongate and robust body. The nasal bone bears 2 downward directed spines on its lower edge in front of the eye, and another sideways directed spine on its side at the rear. The bony suborbital ridge extends to behind theeye and bears 3 spines. There are teeth on the sides of the roof of the mouth. There is a single, central spine on the preoperculum. The pectoral fins are wedge-shaped with 16–18, typically 17 rays, the longest rays being in the centre and the third to eighth rays are branched at their tips in adults. The dorsal fin has 12 spines and usually has XII, 10.5, rarely 9.5, rays. The rearmost of these rays is divided to its base and is counted as 1.5 rays. The scales on the body are rough and the lateral line extends to the caudal fin. The overall colour is reddish brown with the back and flanks marked with dark mottles and spots. There are 3 dark spots in a group on the lateral line below the soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin. The dorsal fin is also heavily marked with mottles and spots, the caudal fin has dense spotting while the spots on the pectoral fin are irregular. [6] The spinycheek scorpionfish reaches a maximum total length of 40 cm (16 in). [7]
The spinycheek scorpionfish is found in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is found along the eastern coast of the United States from New Jersey to southern Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico from Texas to Campeche, Mexico. [1] This is a demersal species which is found at depths between 45 and 230 m (148 and 755 ft). [7]
The spinycheek scorpionfish is carnivorous, feeding on benthic invertebrates and smaller fishes. It is oviparous, laying pelagic eggs which hatch into pelagic larvae. [6] There is thick, glandular tissue on the rear of each fin spine which are thought to be venom glands. [7]
Sebastapistes is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. The fishes in this genus are found in the Indian and Pacific Ocean.
Brachypterois is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.
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.
Idiastion is a small genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Phenacoscorpius, the no-lined scorpionfishes, is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are native to the western Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans.
Neomerinthe is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. They are found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean.
The spotfin scorpionfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is known from the western Indian Ocean This species is the only known member of the genus Neoscorpanea.
Parascorpaena picta, the Northern scorpionfish, painted scorpionfish or marbled rock cod is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. This species is native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. This species grows to a length of 16 centimetres (6.3 in) TL.
Scorpaena afuerae, the Peruvian scorpionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. This species is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Small red scorpionfish is a venomous Scorpionfish, common in marine subtropical waters. It is widespread in the Eastern Atlantic from the Bay of Biscay to Senegal, Madeira, Azores and the Canary Islands, including the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
Scorpaenodes minor, the minor scorpionfish or Brock's scorpionfish, is a species of venomous marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. This species is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
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.
Trachyscorpia is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. The species in this genus are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.
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.
Minous monodactylus, the grey stingfish or grey goblinfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fishes, it is the only genus in the tribe Minoini, one of the three tribes which are classified within the subfamily Synanceiinae within the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and their relatives. This species found in the Indo-Pacific and is venomous to humans.
The channelled rockfish, also known as the deepwater scorpionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the subfamily Setarchinae, the deep-sea bristly scorpionfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It has a wide distribution in tropical and subtropical oceans.
Parascorpaena aurita, the golden scorpionfish or byno scorpionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. This species is native to the Indian Ocean and the 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.
