Species: Pontinus clemensi, Mottled scorpionfish, Spotted scorpionfish
D spines II & III v long
Pontinus clemensi Fitch, 1955
Mottled scorpionfish, Spotted scorpionfish
Head very bony, with numerous spines, large, deep; nape flat; without pit behind eyes; eye large (22-30% of head length); uppermost preopercular spine longest; teeth on roof of mouth at sides but not at front; slit present behind last gill arch; 13 gill rakers; dorsal XII, 2nd and 3rd dorsal spines equally long, much longer than other spines 9; anal III, 5; pectoral with longest rays in center, 19 rays, all unbranched; scales rough, present on cheek, behind eye and on chest; lateral line complete, 27-31 scales with tubes.
Head, body and fins pink; yellow-orange coloring: along top jaw, a stripe from eye to tip of top jaw, a blotch on lower cheek, a blotch behind eye, a blotch on back above pectoral; 2 red blotches on upper back, another on upper tail base; small, dense, irregular blackish spots on upper 2/3 of head and body, and all fins; spinous dorsal pink, with white base and outer band of yellow, spine tips white; a few small yellow spots on base of pectoral.
Size: 56 cm.
Habitat: sandy bottoms.
Depth: 50-250 m.
Colombia to northern Peru, Cocos, Malpelo and the Galapagos.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- No Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic
- No data
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- East Pacific endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- TEP endemic
- Island (s)
- Continent + Island (s)
- All species
- Continent
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 56
- Depth Range Min
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- 50
- Depth Range Max
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- 250
