Spiny scorpionfish
| Spiny scorpionfish | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Scorpaenidae |
| Genus: | Trachyscorpia |
| Species: | T. echinata
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| Binomial name | |
| Trachyscorpia echinata Koehler, 1896
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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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.[3] Many authorities regard this taxon as a subspecies of the Atlantic thornyhead (Trachyscorpia cristulata),[4] while others regard it as a synonym of that taxon.[3] 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.[5]
Description
The spiny scorpionfish has a large head and orbit and a maximum length of 50 cm (1.6 ft), typically 30 cm (0.98 ft).[6][7] It is reddish with a dusky pigment on back and sides; the dorsal fin is black in males and brown in females.[6]
Distribution and habitat
The spiny scorpionfish lives in the northeast Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.[8][9][10][11] It is benthic, living at muddy sand bottoms at depths of 200–2,500 m (660–8,200 ft).[6]
Diet
The spiny scorpionfish eats other fish, including eels.[12]
Reproduction
The spiny scorpionfish is oviparous.[13]
References
- ^ Bannermann, P.; Nunoo, F.; Poss, S.; Russell, B. (2015). "Trachyscorpia cristulata ssp. echinata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T15622813A15623487. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T15622813A15623487.en. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Trachyscorpia echinata". FishBase. August 2021 version.
- ^ a b Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Trachyscorpia". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ "Species: Trachyscorpia cristulata, Atlantic thornyhead". Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (22 May 2021). "Order Perciformes (Part 8): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Families Sebastidae, Setarchidae and Neosebastidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ a b c "Marine Species Identification Portal: Scorpion-fish - Trachyscorpia echinata". species-identification.org.
- ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Trachyscorpia cristulata echinata (Köhler, 1896)". www.marinespecies.org.
- ^ "Cybium". Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Laboratoire d'ichtyologie générale et appliquée. November 5, 1997 – via Google Books.
- ^ https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/umrsmas/bullmar/1999/00000064/00000002/art00013?crawler=true [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Trachyscorpia cristulata echinata (Köhler, 1896) - Ocean Biodiversity Information System". obis.org.
- ^ "Trachyscorpia cristulata echinata (Köhler, 1896)". www.gbif.org.
- ^ Desbruyères, Daniel; Segonzac, Michel (November 5, 1997). Handbook of Deep-sea Hydrothermal Vent Fauna. Editions Quae. ISBN 9782905434784 – via Google Books.
- ^ Richards, William J. (August 8, 2005). Early Stages of Atlantic Fishes: An Identification Guide for the Western Central North Atlantic, Two Volume Set. CRC Press. ISBN 9780203500217 – via Google Books.
