Description: A small to medium-sized scorpionfish, with large spinous head and fan-like pectoral fins. Occipital pit present (cavity on the upper skull, behind the eyes, with some sensory function). Single dorsal fin with spines and soft rays. Chest, pectoral fin base, and head scaleless. Brown or tan, with a large black spot on the spinous part of the dorsal fin. Other fins mottled, blotched, or spotted with dark brown.
Global Distribution: Eastern Atlantic: Bay of Biscay to Senegal, including Madeira, Azores and the Canary Islands; Mediterranean and Black Sea. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum length 24.0 cm (total length); common length 12.0 cm (TL).
Age: Maximum reported age: 8 years.
Weight length rel.: Azores (Morato et al. 2001): both sexes: a=0.0153, b=3.051, r2=0.982 (n=225); males: a=0.0163, b=3.035, r2=0.967 (n=105); females: a=0.0175, b=2.997, r2=0.981 (n=106).
Portugal, south coast (Borges et al. 2003): a=0.01696, b=3.063, r2=0.96 (n=121).
Portugal, south coast (Santos et al. 2002): a=0.0321, b=2.818, r2=0.845 (n=1118).
Portugal, west coast (Mendes et al. 2004): a=0.0052, b=3.447, r2=0.851 (n=120).
Spain, south-west coast (Torres et al. 2012): a=0.0183, b=3.000, r2=0.98 (n=239).
FishBase: Bayesian estimated length-weight: a=0.01738 (0.01520 - 0.01986), b=3.03 (2.99 - 3.07).
Growth type: Negative allometric (Santos et al. 2002) / positive allometric (Mendes et al. 2004) / isometric (Torres et al. 2012).
von Bertallanfy growth parameters:
Reproduction:
Maturity:
Behavioural ecology: Usually lies immobile on the bottom, with an occasional swimming burst. Generally solitary, but several individuals may be found nearby.
Population structure & migrations:
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: FishBase: 10 - 700 m.
Habitat: Demersal. Common in rocky littoral habitats.
Feeding habits: Feeds on crustaceans and small fishes.
Trophic level: FishBase: 3.5
FISHERIES
Commercial interest: Commercial species. Commercially it is not distinguished from other Scorpaena spp.
Conservation status: Global: Not evaluated.
Europe: Least concern.
Nutritional information & food safety:
REFERENCES
Borges T.C., Olim S., Erzini K. (2003). Weight–length relationships for fish species discarded in commercial fisheries of the Algarve (southern Portugal). Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 19(6): 394-396.
Direcção Regional de Pescas, Madeira.
Eschmeyer W.N. (1969). A Systematic Review of the Scorpionfishes of the Atlantic Ocean (Pisces: Scorpaenidae). Occasioinal Papers of the California Academy of Sciences, 79: i-iv + 1-143.
IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org
Mendes B., Fonseca P., Campos A. (2004). Weight–length relationships for 46 fish species of the Portuguese west coast. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 20(5): 355-361.
Morato T., Afonso P., Lourinho P., Barreiros J.P., Santos R.S., Nash R.D.M. (2001). Length–weight relationships for 21 coastal fish species of the Azores, north-eastern Atlantic. Fisheries Research, 50(3): 297-302.
Nieto A., Ralph G.M., Comeros-Raynal M.T., Kemp J., GarcÃa Criado M., Allen D.J., Dulvy N.K., Walls R.H.L., Russell B., Pollard D., GarcÃa S., Craig M., Collette B.B., Pollom R., Biscoito M., Labbish Chao N., Abella A., Afonso P., Ãlvarez H., Carpenter K.E., Clò S., Cook R., Costa M.J., Delgado J., Dureuil M., Ellis J.R., Farrell E.D., Fernandes P., Florin A-B., Fordham S., Fowle, S., Gil de Sola L., Gil Herrera J., Goodpaster A., Harvey M., Heessen H., Herler J., Jung A., Karmovskaya E., Keskin C., Knudsen S.W., Kobyliansky S., KovaÄić M., Lawson J.M., Lorance P., McCully Phillips S., Munroe T., Nedreaas K., Nielsen J., Papaconstantinou C., Polidoro B., Pollock C.M., Rijnsdorp A.D., Sayer C., Scott J., Serena F., Smith-Vaniz W.F., Soldo A., Stump E., Williams J.T. (2015). Europen Red List of Marine Fishes. IUCN and European Union, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 90 pp.
Santos M.N., Gaspar M.B., Vasconcelos P., Monteiro C.C. (2002). Weight–length relationships for 50 selected fish species of the Algarve coast (southern Portugal). Fisheries Research, 59(1): 289-295.
Torres M.A., Ramos F., Sobrino I. (2012). Length–weight relationships of 76 fish species from the Gulf of Cadiz (SW Spain). Fisheries Research, 127: 171-175.
