Species: Trachyscorpia verai, Ecuadorian deep-sea scorpionfish


pelvic spine short
Trachyscorpia verai Bearez & Motomura, 2009
Ecuadorian deep-sea scorpionfish
Body moderately deep (depth 31% SL), not strongly arched at front, compressed; head large (46% SL); snout short; head bones strong with well developed spines; large spines on top of head from between eyes to middle of nape; no pit on top of head behind eyes; eye large (12.8% SL), with 2 slender tentacles on top; mouth large, slightly oblique, reaches to nearly under rear edge of eye; top and bottom jaws ~equal, lower jaw with front knob; top jaw with thin lip, not covering most of side of front jaw bone; jaw teeth simple, in bands; sides of roof of mouth with teeth; longitudinal crest under eye with 5 spines; preopercle with 4 spines, 1st spine longest & with a strong supplemental spine; opercle with 2 small spines; slit behind 4th gill arch closed by membrane; gill rakers 5+11; dorsal fin XII, 3rd spine long (15.3% SL), 9 branched rays; anal fin III, 5 branched rays; pectoral not wedge shaped, fin bilobed, deeply notched, longest rays at top, 22, uppermost and lowest 6 rays unbranched, remaining rays branched, lower rays fleshy in large fish; pelvic spine short, 9.6% SL; body scales rough on sides, smooth below; scales on cheek, and between and behind eyes; no scales on side of rear top jaw bone; 50 scale rows in longitudinal series; lateral line with tubed scales, complete, extending to base of tail fin, 27 pored scales; no swim bladder.
Head and body uniform bright red, a dark blotch on the opercle; inside mouth and gill chamber pale; lining of gut cavity dark.
Reaches 36 cm.
Probably lives on deep slopes with rocks and sand.
Depth: 200+ m.
Known only from the coast of Ecuador.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Rocks
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Sand & gravel
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef and soft bottom
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bathydemersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- No Data
- Diet
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- No Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic larva
- No data
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
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- East Pacific endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- TEP endemic
- Continent
- Continent only
- Panamic province endemic
- 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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- Not evaluated / Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Depth Range Max
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- 200
- Depth Range Min
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- 200
- Length Max
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- 36