Spiny scorpionfish explained

The spiny scorpionfish (Trachyscorpia echinata) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean.

Taxonomy

The spiny scorpionfish was first formally described as Scorpaena echinata in 1896 by the French zoologist Jean Baptiste François René Koehler with the type locality given as the Bay of Biscay in France. Many authorities regard this taxon as a subspecies of the Atlantic thornyhead (Trachyscorpia cristulata),[1] while others regard it as a synonym of that taxon. This taxon is also placed by some authorities in the subgenus Trachyscorpia. The specific name echinata means "prickly", an allusion Koehler did not explain, but it is likely to be a reference to its spiny ctenoid scales.[2]

Description

The spiny scorpionfish has a large head and orbit and a maximum length of, typically .[3] [4] It is reddish with a dusky pigment on back and sides; the dorsal fin is black in males and brown in females.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The spiny scorpionfish lives in the northeast Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.[5] [6] [7] [8] It is benthic, living at muddy sand bottoms at depths of .[3]

Diet

The spiny scorpionfish eats other fish, including eels.[9]

Reproduction

The spiny scorpionfish is oviparous.[10]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Species: Trachyscorpia cristulata, Atlantic thornyhead . Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system . 30 December 2021 . Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
  2. Web site: Order Perciformes (Part 8): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Families Sebastidae, Setarchidae and Neosebastidae . The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database . Christopher Scharpf . Kenneth J. Lazara . amp . 22 May 2021 . 31 December 2021 . Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara.
  3. Web site: Marine Species Identification Portal: Scorpion-fish - Trachyscorpia echinata. species-identification.org.
  4. Web site: WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Trachyscorpia cristulata echinata (Köhler, 1896). www.marinespecies.org.
  5. Web site: Cybium. November 5, 1997. Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Laboratoire d'ichtyologie générale et appliquée. Google Books.
  6. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/umrsmas/bullmar/1999/00000064/00000002/art00013?crawler=true
  7. Web site: Trachyscorpia cristulata echinata (Köhler, 1896) - Ocean Biodiversity Information System. obis.org.
  8. Web site: Trachyscorpia cristulata echinata (Köhler, 1896). www.gbif.org.
  9. Book: Handbook of Deep-sea Hydrothermal Vent Fauna. Daniel. Desbruyères. Michel. Segonzac. November 5, 1997. Editions Quae. 9782905434784. Google Books.
  10. Book: Richards, William J.. Early Stages of Atlantic Fishes: An Identification Guide for the Western Central North Atlantic, Two Volume Set. August 8, 2005. CRC Press. 9780203500217. Google Books.

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