Red Scorpionfish

Other names: Bigscale Scorpionfish or Large-scaled Scorpionfish.

Description

Scorpaena scrofa is the largest eastern Atlantic scorpion fish. Colouration ranges from brick-red to a light pink, and it has dark coloured blotches on its body. It has venomous spines, can achieve a maximum weight of approximately 3 kilograms (6.6 lb). It can grow to a maximum length of 50 centimetres (20 in), but is commonly around 30 cm (12 in).

It has 12 dorsal spines, 9 dorsal soft rays, 3 anal spines, and 5 soft rays. It often has a dark spot on its spinous dorsal spines between the 6th and 11th. It has long supraorbital tentacles.

Distribution

This species is found in the Mediterranean Sea and Adriatic sea. It is also found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean around the British Isles, where rare, south to Senegal, the Canary Islands, and Cape Verde.

Habitat

Scorpaena scrofa is demersal and lives in marine, and brackish environments with rocky, sandy or muddy bottoms at depths of 200–500 m (660–1,640 ft). By day, it lives in burrows and caves. At night it comes out to hunt.

Behaviour

This species is a sedentary, solitary and non-migratory fish. It is predatory, feeding on other fish, as well as crustaceans and molluscs.

As food

Scorpaena scrofa is a traditional ingredient in Marseille bouillabaisse. It is also widely used in Japanese cuisine.