Species: Scorpaena grandicornis, Plumed scorpionfish
large, plumed cirrus over eye
Scorpaena grandicornis Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1829
Plumed scorpionfish
Head very bony, with numerous spines; no spines before well developed pit on top of head behind eyes; eye moderate, with a very large, plumed cirrus above; 1st (top most) preopercular spine the largest, with a small accessory spine; bone over front of mouth with 2 spines pointing down; bone ridge under eye with 2-3 spines; roof of mouth with teeth on sides but not at front; no slit behind last gill arch; dorsal fin XII, 9.5; anal III,5; pectoral 18-19, with some upper rays branched in adult, not reaching past 3rd anal spine; scales relatively large, smooth; lateral line complete; numerous skin flaps on body, snout and around mouth.
Dark brown; tail fin with 3 brown bars (base, middle and end); upper part of inside of pectoral base brown, with small (<0.5 mm) white dots, each surrounded by dark pigment, white spots extending onto fin and side of body next to fin; lower head and chest white.
Reaches 15 cm.
Lives in seagrass beds and soft bottoms.
Depth range: 1-30 m.
North Carolina to Brazi
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom only
- Submerged vegetation
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Data
- Egg Type
-
- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- All species.
- Regional Endemism
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- GC non-endemic
- Extends South of GC
- All species..
- Also in Brazil
- Continent only
- Continent
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 15
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 30
