Common Name
Longsnout Scorpionfish
Year Described
Poey, 1860
Identification
Dorsal Fin: XII, 9.5-11.5
Anal Fin: III, 5
Pectoral Fin: 16-17
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Vertebrae: 25
Scale rows above lateral line: 45-55
Body very deep (deepest at gill opening) with a huge head. Snout longer (1.3-2.0 times larger) than eye diameter. Dorsal profile convex. Ventral profile flattened. Eye and mouth large. Head with multiple strong ridges and short spines. A strong cheek ridge is present. Preopercle with a few strong spines (second spine small or missing). Body covered in ctenoid scales. Lateral line complete. Spiny dorsal fin with spines of similar length. Soft dorsal fin is rounded. Pectoral fin fanlike, with the middle rays being the longest. Pectoral rays all unbranched. Caudal fin truncate.
Color
Pale pinkish to salmon with darker pink or orangish mottling or incomplete body bars. Often with widely scattered darker brown spots and blotches. Spiny dorsal fin with orange or pink mottling and a pale margin. Soft dorsal, anal, pectoral, and caudal fin with spots along the finrays. Belly pale.
Size
Maximum size to 26cm SL.
Habitat
Hard and live bottoms from 45-400m.
Range
Bermuda and the Caribbean islands (Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Lesser Antilles).
References
Poss, S.G. 2002. Scorpaenidae. In: FAO Species Identification Guide to Fishes of the Western Atlantic. (ed. Carpenter K), pp. 1232-1265. UN FAO Publishers, Rome.