Stone Scorpionfish

The stone scorpionfish is a heavy-bodied ambush hunter that vanishes against the reef until it strikes. Growing up to 45.7 cm, it is the largest scorpionfish of its kind, and its spines carry venom.

It is easily confused with other camouflaged scorpionfish sharing the same mottled pattern. Look for the row of white spots at the base of the pectoral fin — a fixed mark most similar scorpionfish do not show.

The head is bony and spiny, with a very large mouth and small flaps of skin scattered over the head and body. Colouring is highly variable, usually a dull mix of grey, brown, red, green, and black, with dark bars on the tail fin. White spots, often lined up in a row, mark the base of the pectoral fin, and the dorsal fin usually carries one obvious black spot. Young fish show a clear dark bar on the rear of the body, under the soft part of the dorsal fin.

This scorpionfish lives on seaweed-covered reefs and on open sand-and-rubble ground in the eastern Pacific, from shallow water down to about 30 m.

It is an ambush predator that lies motionless and camouflaged on the reef, striking with its large mouth when small fish come within range. It also eats crustaceans and cephalopods such as squid and octopus. Its spines are venomous, so it should never be touched or handled.

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  Black Scorpionfish

  Scorpaena porcus

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  Devil Scorpionfish

  Scorpaenopsis diabolus

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  Leaf scorpionfish

  Taenianotus triacanthus

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  Madeira Scorpionfish

  Scorpaena maderensis

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  Red scorpionfish

  Scorpaena scrofa

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  Scorpionfish

  scorpionfishes