Scorpaenopsis diabolus

Humpback scorpionfish ( Scorpaenopsis diabolus )

The Humpback scorpionfish ( Scorpaenopsis diabolus ), also known as False Stonefish, is a fish of the family Scorpaenidae ( Scorpaenidae ). He lives in the Red Sea and tropical Indo-Pacific from East Africa to southern Japan, Hawaii, French Polynesia, New Caledonia and the Great Barrier Reef.

Features

The Humpback scorpionfish has a stocky, slightly high-backed body that is surrounded by 45 vertical scale rows. The head and foot column are large, the eyes small and highly lying. The Humpback scorpionfish is usually spotted more or less strong. On the lacrimal bone are 2-3 spines, the first facing forward, the other, standing close together, facing down or backwards. The bony orbit below has four or more spines and usually more than 8 or 10 point-like, different sized bumps that are not in a row. Below the eye is a shallow pit. The fish reach a length of 30 centimeters.

The insides of the pectoral fins are colorful, have orange and white bands and black spots. In case of faults, the pectoral fins are spread so that the colorful insides are visible. The hard rays of the dorsal fin included a painful poison.

Fins formula: Dorsal XII/8-10, Anal III/5-6, pectoral 18

Way of life

The Humpback scorpionfish lives solitarily on the ground, especially in rocky habitats at depths of one to 70 meters, but also on sandy soils. Often it is partially buried. It feeds mainly on fish, as Lipp and parrot fish. The reproductive biology of the species is largely unknown.