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Species: Pontinus furcirhinus, Red scorpionfish

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

D: 3rd spine elongate
red + brown & olive spots on back, D & C

Pontinus furcirhinus Garman, 1899

Red scorpionfish

Relatively slender, body compressed; head compressed, very bony, with numerous spines; nape flat; without pit behind eyes; eye large (24-32% of head length); eye cirrus slender and pointed (when present); 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, 3rd  much longer than others, 2nd  not elongate, 8-9 rays, last divided to its base, not attached to body; anal III,4; pectoral with longest rays in center, 17-19 rays, all unbranched; scales rough, present on cheek, behind eye and on chest; lateral line complete, 24-29 scales with tubes.

Red; dark brown and olive spotting on upper body and on dorsal and tail fins; a few dark spots on pectoral.

Size: 33.2 cm.

Habitat: hard and soft bottoms.

Depth: 50-390 m.

Southern Baja and the western and lower eastern Gulf of California to Peru; Cocos, the northern Galapagos and Malpelo.


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Salinity
  • Marine Only
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
  • Bottom only
Habitat
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Rocks
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Bathydemersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • No Data
Diet
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
  • Bony fishes
  • No Data
Egg Type
  • No data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
  • East Pacific endemic
  • All species
Regional Endemism
  • All species
  • Island (s)
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Continent
  • TEP endemic
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
  • South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
  • Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
  • Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 33.2
Depth Range Min
  • 50
Depth Range Max
  • 390