Species: Scorpaena mystes, Pacific spotted scorpionfish, Stone scorpionfish
inside pectoral: black blotch, rows white spots
Scorpaena mystes Jordan & Starks in Jordan, 1895
Stone scorpionfish, Pacific spotted scorpionfish
Head very bony, with numerous spines, as deep as broad; a deep pit present behind eyes; a smaller pit below and in front of eye; longitudinal ridge under eye with 3-4 spines; top preopercular spine the longest; roof of mouth with teeth on sides; no slit behind last gill arch; numerous skin flaps on head and body ; dorsal rays XII, 9-10; anal rays III, 5-6; pectoral rays 18-21, the lower rays unbranched and thickened; scales relatively large, smooth on body; lateral line complete; with tubes on scales; 24-25 lateral line scales, 42-48 vertical rows.
Color highly variable, usually a drab mottled mixture of grey, brown, red, green, and black; tail with dark bars; axil of pectoral fin usually dark with white spots, frequently arranged in rows; juveniles with pronounced dark bar on rear body at level of soft dorsal fin. Specimens from the Revillagigedos and Galapagos have more uniformly colored pectoral axils and may represent a separate subspecies.
Size: to 51 cm.
Inhabits weed-covered reefs and open sand- rubble areas.
Depth: 1-100 m.
Southern California through the Gulf of California to Chile, plus the Revillagigedos, Galapagos, Cocos and Malpelo.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Brackish
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Sand & gravel
- Corals
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef and soft bottom
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Rocks
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Data
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic larva
- No data
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
-
- All species
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- East Pacific endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- All species
- Continent + Island (s)
- Continent
- Island (s)
- TEP endemic
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 51
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 100
