Species: Pontinus sierra, Speckled scorpionfish
narrow between eyes
under head white
Pontinus sierra Gilbert, 1890
Speckled scorpionfish
Relatively slender, body compressed; head very bony, with númerous spines, large, deep; nape flat; without pit behind eyes; eye large (24-29% of head length); narrow between eyes; 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, without elongated 2nd or 3rd spines, 8-9 rays; anal III, 5, second spine moderately long; pectoral with longest rays in center, 20 rays, all unbranched; scales rough, present on cheek, behind eye and on chest; lateral line complete, 23-29 scales with tubes.
Head and body bright red; with grey-green to yellow-brown blotches on back; underside of head and inside mouth bright white.
Size: 33 cm.
Habitat: rubble bottoms.
Depth: 48-351m.
Southern Baja to the central Gulf of California to northern Peru.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
-
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom only
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- No Data
- Diet
-
- No Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
-
- No data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- East Pacific endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
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- 3 provinces (Cortez + Mexican + Panamic) endemic
- TEP endemic
- All species
- Continent
- Continental TEP endemic
- Continent only
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- 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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- 33
- Depth Range Min
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- 48
- Depth Range Max
-
- 351
