Species: Scorpaena isthmensis, Smoothcheek scorpionfish
deep pit behind eyes
scales smooth
Scorpaena isthmensis Meek & Hildebrand, 1928
Smoothcheek scorpionfish
Head very bony, with numerous spines; adults with a well developed pit on top of head behind eyes; eye moderate, with a large branched cirrus above it at the rear; 1st (top most) preopercular spine the largest, short, with a small accessory spine; bone over front of mouth with 2 spines pointing down; bone ridge under eye prominent, without 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, 3rd spine longer than 2nd; pectoral 18-19, with some upper rays branched in adult; scales relatively large, smooth; lateral line complete.
Red to brown to tan with greenish mottling; head brown, often dark markings at edge of operculum; iris yellow; a prominent dark green blotch on the fin membranes between dorsal fin spines III-VII; outer ½ of pelvic dusky, inner half pink; tail fin with 3 dusky bars – base (poorly defined), center and before the end.
Reaches 26 cm.
Mud bottoms and rocky bottoms with sand and rubble.
Depth range: 15-110 m.
N Carolina to Brazil.
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
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Mud
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Rocks
- Reef and soft bottom
- Corals
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Sand & gravel
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
-
- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- West Atlantic Endemic
- All species.
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- All species..
- Continental primarily
- Extends N + S of GC
- Island (s)
- Extends South of GC
- Continent + Island (s)
- GC non-endemic
- Extends North of GC
- Also in Brazil
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 26
- Depth Range Min
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- 15
- Depth Range Max
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- 110
