Scorpaenidae

Not to be confused with Scorpionidae.

The Scorpaenidae (also known as scorpionfish) are a family of mostly marine fish that includes many of the world's most venomous species. As their name suggests, scorpionfish have a type of "sting" in the form of sharp spines coated with venomous mucus. The family is a large one, with hundreds of members. They are widespread in tropical and temperate seas, but mostly found in the Indo-Pacific. They should not be confused with the cabezones, of the genus Scorpaenichthys, which belong to a separate, though related, family, Cottidae.

Scorpionfish Temporal range: Early Eocene–recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scorpaenopsis oxycephala
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Suborder:	Scorpaenoidei
Family:	Scorpaenidae A. Risso, 1826
Type species
Scorpaena porcus Linnaeus, 1758
Subfamilies
See text

Scorpaena scrofa

Taxonomy

Scorpaenidae was described as a family in 1826 by the French naturalist Antoine Risso.^[1] The family is included in the suborder Scorpaenoidei of the order Scorpaeniformes in the fifth edition of Fishes of the World^[2] but other authorities place it in the Perciformes either in the suborder Scorpaenoidei ^[3] or the superfamily Scorpaenoidea.^[4] The subfamilies of this family are treated as valid families by some authorities.^[3]

The earliest known member of the subfamily is the Early Eocene-aged Eosynanceja, which is also one of the earliest known perciforms.^[5]

Subfamilies and tribes

The Scorpaenidae are divided into these subfamilies and tribes, containing a total of 65 genera with no fewer than 454 species:^[2][1]

• Subfamily Sebastinae Kaup, 1873 (rockfishes)
  • Tribe Sebastini Kaup, 1873
  • Tribe Sebastolobini Matsubara, 1943
• Subfamily Setarchinae Matsubara, 1943
• Subfamily Neosebastinae Matsubara, 1943
• Subfamily Scorpaeninae Risso, 1826 (scorpionfishes and lionfishes)
  • Tribe Scorpaenini Risso, 1826
  • Tribe Pteroini Kaup, 1873
• Subfamily Caracanthinae Gill, 1885 (orbicular velvetfishes or coral crouchers)
• Subfamily Apistinae Gill, 1859
• Subfamily Tetraroginae J.L.B. Smith, 1949 (sailback scorpionfishes or wasp fishes)
• Subfamily Synanceiinae Swainson, 1839 (stonefishes)
  • Tribe Minoini Jordan & starks, 1904
  • Tribe Choridactylini Kaup, 1859
  • Tribe Synanceiini Swainson 1839
• Subfamily Plectrogeniinae Fowler, 1938

Characteristics

The Scorpaenidae have a compressed body with the head typically having ridges and spines. One or two spines are on the operculum, with two normally being divergent, and three to five on the preoperculum, normally five. The suborbital stay is normally securely attached to the preoperculum, although in some species it may not be attached. If scales are present, they are typically ctenoid. They normally have a single dorsal fin, which is frequently incised. The dorsal fin contains between 11 and 17 spines and 8 and 17 soft rays, while the anal fin usually has between one and three spines, normally three, and three to nine soft rays, typically five, A single spine is in the pelvic fin with between two and five soft rays, again typically five, while the large pectoral fin contains 11–25 soft rays and sometimes has a few of the lower rays free of its membrane. The gill membranes are not attached to the isthmus. Some species have no swim bladder. Venom glands are in the spines of the dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins in some species. Most species use internal fertilisation, and some species are ovoviviparous while others lay their eggs in a gelatinous mass, with Scorpaena guttata being reported to create a gelatinous "egg balloon" as large as 20 cm (7.9 in) across.^[2] The largest species is the shortraker rockfish (Sebastes borealis), which attains a maximum total length of 108 cm (43 in), while many species have maximum total lengths of 5 cm (2.0 in).^[6][7]

Distribution and habitat

Scorpaenidae species are mainly found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but some species are also found in the Atlantic Ocean.^[2] Some species, such as the lionfishes in the genus Pterois, are invasive non-native species in areas such as the Caribbean^[8] and the eastern Mediterranean Sea.^[9] They are found in marine and brackish-water habitats.^[6] They typically inhabit reefs, but can also be found in estuaries, bays, and lagoons.