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Scorpaeniformes: 1245

Pontinus castor Poey, 1860 Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Pontinus pollux Poey, 1860 / None. FAO names: En - Longsnout scorpionfish; Fr - Rascasse longnez; Sp - Rascacio de fondo.

Diagnostic characters: A snapper-like, spiny-headed scorpionfish with snout longer than eye diameter. Dor- sal fin with 12 spines and 9 1/2 to 11 1/2, but usually 10 1/2 soft rays (last split to base and counted as 1 1/2).No dorsal-fin spines especially elongated. Usually 17 pectoral-fin rays, all unbranched. Second preopercular spine small or absent.Scales ctenoid (rough to touch).Vertical scale rows 45 to 55.Colour: red or reddish pink on a pale background; some scattered dusky specks on body and head; fins spotted with red. Size: The largest reported specimen is 260 mm standard length. Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Predatory and bottom-dwelling, in depths of about 45 to 400 m, probably on rocky or shell bottom. Not subjected to a special fishery; caught incidentally as part of artisanal fisheries throughout its range. Caught mainly with hook-and-line and traps. Marketed fresh. Distribution: This has been reported from depths of 45 to 180 m from , the Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Is- lands. It has yet to be reported more widely in the Caribbean. 1246 Bony

Pontinus helena Eschmeyer, 1965 Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None. FAO names: En - Helena scorpionfish.

Diagnostic characters: Dorsal fin with 12 spines and 9 1/2 to 10 1/2 soft rays (last split to base and counted as 1 1/2). Dorsal fin without notably elongate spines. Pectoral fin with 19 or 20 rays, all unbranched. Lacrimal bone with 2 distinct ventrally directed spines. Spines on suborbital ridge 3 or 4. Second preopercular spine small or absent. Scales ctenoid (rough to touch). Vertical scale rows about 45. Colour: probably red or pink in life with a few dark specks or markings on dorsum. Size: The largest specimen reported is 186 mm standard length. Habitat, biology, and fisheries: This infre- quently encountered species has been taken in trawls at depths of about 402 m. Distribution: This species remains known only from the ‘“Gulfo de Triste’, off Venezuela. : Scorpaenidae 1247

Pontinus longispinis Goode and Bean, 1896 Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None. FAO names: En - Longspine scorpionfish, Fr - Rascasse épineux, Sp - Rascacio espinoso.

Diagnostic characters: Snout relatively short. Dorsal fin with 12 spines and 9 1/2 soft rays (last split to base and counted as 1 1/2). Third dorsal-fin spine notably elongate in specimens greater than about 130 mm standard length. Pectoral fin with 16 to 18 rays (northern populations with mostly 17 and southern popula- tions with typically 17 or 18), all unbranched.Lacrimal bone with 2 ventrally directed spines and usually a small spine on lateral face posteriorly.Infraorbital bones 2 and 3 (suborbitals) with 1 and 3 spines respectively.Sec- ond preopercular spine small, but rarely absent. Scales ctenoid. Vertical scale rows 45 to 50. Colour: red or pink with dusky, darker red spots or blotches. Size: Reaches 250 mm, common to 200 mm. Habitat, biology, and fisheries: This species occurs over soft or semi-hard substrates; 80 to 440 m and is taken by hook-and-line, longlines, and in trawl fisheries, especially off Colombia and Venezuela, where it is lo- cally abundant. Distribution: First described from the , 28°36’N, 85°33.5’W, in 203 m, this spe- cies appears to be separated into 2 populations, one that extends from South Carolina southward around the Florida Peninsula and the Tortugas into the Gulf of Mexico to the Mississippi River delta, and southward to off Brownsville, Bahia, Campeche, and Yucatán. A southern population occurs at scattered localities from Panama to Brazil. It has not been reported from the Baha- mas or the Antilles. 1248 Bony Fishes

Pontinus nematophthalmus (Günther, 1860) Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Pontinus macrolepis Good and Bean, 1896 / None. FAO names: En - Spinythroat scorpionfish.

Diagnostic characters: Dorsal fin with 12 spines and 8 1/2 to 9 1/2 soft rays (last split to base and counted as 1 1/2).Pectoral fin with 15 to 17 rays, usually 16;all unbranched.Lacrimal bone with 2 spines on ventral margin bone, both pointing backward, and a smaller spine on later face of bone in some specimens.Infraorbital bones 2 and 3 (suborbital bones) with 1 and 2 spines respectively. Processes often present on ventral margin of hypohyal bones, visible only when hyoid is depressed.Supraocular cirrus when present long and slender, about twice orbit diameter. Second preopercular spine small, but seldom absent. Scales ctenoid (rough to touch), in 42 to 47 vertical rows. Colour: probably mostly red in life, with few darker or dusky red streaks, often arranged in 4 poorly defined saddle-shaped bars below dorsal fin. Size: To 132 mm standard length. Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Little is known about this infrequently captured species. Occasionally taken in trawls and traps from 86 to 402 m. Distribution: This species ranges from the At- lantic coast of Florida, the Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Lesser Antil- les, and along the coast from the Yucatán Peninsula southward to Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Venezuela. Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae 1249

Pontinus rathbuni Goode and Bean, 1896 Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None. FAO names: En - Highfin scorpionfish.

Diagnostic characters: Dorsal fin with 12 spines and 9 1/2 soft rays (last split to base and counted as 1 1/2). Pectoral fin with 16 to 18, but usually 17 rays, all unbranched. Lacrimal bone with 2 posteroventrally point- ing spines and a small spine often present on its lateral face. Infraorbital bones 1 and 2 (suborbitals) with 1 and 2 spines respectively. Supraocular cirrus, when present, usually shorter than orbit diameter and splayed distally rather than tapered at tip. Scales ctenoid (rough to touch), in about 45 vertical rows. Colour: probably red in life with dark red or orange spots or dusky smudges on the pectoral and caudal fins; smaller specimens with dusky saddle-shaped bars along back, becoming more diffuse with growth. Size: To 197 mm standard length. Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Almost nothing is known about the biology of this species, ex- cept it appears to be confined to coastal areas in depths of 73 to 366 m. Distribution: This species can be found off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, southward along the Florida peninsula to the northern Gulf of Mexico. It has also been reported off Belize, Nic- aragua, Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guyanas. 1250 Bony Fishes

Scorpaena agassizii Goode and Bean, 1896 Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None. FAO names: En - Longfin scorpionfish, Fr - Rascasse-aîle-longe, Sp - Rascacio chasnete de fondo.

Diagnostic characters: Dorsal fin with 12 spines and 8 1/2 to 10 1/2 (usually 9 1/2) soft rays (last split to base and counted as 1 1/2). Pectoral with 18 to 20 rays, usually 19, some branched. Lacrimal bone with 2 spines over maxillary, both pointing forward, and sometimes 1 or 2 small spines on lateral surface of bone.Infraorbital bones 2 and 3 (suborbitals) with 1 and 2 spines respectively.Second preopercular spine small.Occipital pit ab- sent or present only as a small depression before parietal spines.Scales cycloid (smooth to touch) in about 45 vertical rows. Vertebrae 24. Colour: bright red, with darker red or brownish spots over anterior lateral-line scales, base of dorsal-fin spines, and on and above pectoral fin. Size: To 155 mm standard length. Habitat, biology, and fisheries: This species is found on soft bottoms of the continental shelf be- tween 50 and 275 m. Common in industrial and fin- trawl fisheries and abundant off coast of Guyana, but is not usually marketed. Distribution: This predominantly offshore spe- cies is found on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the USA, southward from North Carolina to the Yucatán Peninsula, Honduras, Nicaragua, Pan- ama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and Brazil. It has been reported from Bermuda, but this has not been subsequently confirmed. Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae 1251

Scorpaena albifimbria Evermann and Marsh, 1900 Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None. FAO names: En - Coral scorpionfish.

Diagnostic characters: Dorsal fin with 12 spines and 8 1/2 to 9 1/2 soft rays (last split to base and counted as 1 1/2). Pectoral with 19 to 21 rays, some branched. Lacrimal bone with 2 spines ventrally, both pointing for- ward. Infraorbital bones 1 and 2 (suborbitals) with 1 and 2 spines respectively. Second preopercular spine small. Occipital pit shallow. Scales cycloid (smooth to touch). Vertical scale rows about 40. Vertebrae 24. Col- our: brightly coloured, pink to dark red on a pale background;darkly coloured behind head, on pectoral fin, and on body between soft dorsal and anal fins. Size: Reaches 51 mm standard length. Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Little is known of this small species other than it changes its col- oration with age and that it is found inshore at shallow depths to about 31 m. Distribution: This species has been reported from Florida, the Bahamas, Navassa, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Curaçao, Saint Andrews Island, Barbados, Ber- muda, and the north coast of Colombia at Punta de Betín. 1252 Bony Fishes

Scorpaena bergii Evermann and Marsh, 1900 Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None. FAO names: En - Goosehead scorpionfish.

Diagnostic characters: Dorsal fin with 12 spines and 9 1/2 soft rays (last split to base and counted as 1 1/2). Pectoral fin with 16 to 17 rays, some branched. Occipital pit well developed. Lacrimal bone with 2 spines pointing forward from ventral margin. A single spine at end of suborbital ridge (on infraorbital bone 3). Scales cycloid (smooth to touch). Vertical scale rows 41 to 46. Vertebrae 24. Colour: a dark spot on spinous dorsal fin between spines 3, 4, or 5 to spines 7 or 8;pelvic fin clear but dusky at tip;caudal fin with 3 dark bars, 1 at base, 1 near middle, and 1 at distal margin. Size: This species has been said to reach 100 mm standard length. However, the largest reported specimen is 68 mm. Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Except that the proportions of this species change with size as does coloration, little else is known of the biology of this species, which is found in clear waters at shallow depths of 7 to 73 m. Distribution: Found from New York southward to Florida, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Antigua, Curaçao, Aruba, Grand Cayman Island, the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize, Panama, the An- tilles, Colombia, and Bahia, Brazil. Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae 1253

Scorpaena brachyptera Eschmeyer, 1965 Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None. FAO names: En - Shortfin scorpionfish.

Diagnostic characters: Dorsal fin with 12 spines and 7 1/2 to 9 1/2 soft rays, usually 8 1/2 (last split to base and counted as 1 1/2).Pectoral fin with 19 or 20 rays, some branched.Lacrimal bone with 2 spines on ventral edge, with first small and arched, both pointing down and slightly forward. Infraorbital bones 1 and 2 (suborbitals) forming strong ridge, with 1 (rarely 2) and 2 spines respectively. Nasal bones freely movable, but usually without spines. Occiput pit present, but shallow. Scales cycloid (smooth to touch) in about 40 vertical rows. Vertebrae 24. Colour: head red with much dusky and some yellow pigment; iris yellowish red; medial surface of pectoral fin with upper half bright yellow; anal fin red, mottled, with deepest coloration on an- terior half of fin. Size: To 62 mm standard length. Habitat, biology, and fisheries: No fishery ex- ists for this rare species, which is found at depths of 46 to 155 m. Some specimens have been col- lected over rock-rubble bottoms and others in ar- eas rich in sponges. Distribution: This seldom encountered species is so far known from off Florida, the Lesser Antil- les, and off the coasts of Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela. 1254 Bony Fishes

Scorpaena brasiliensis Cuvier, 1829 SBJ Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Scorpaena stearnsii Goode and Bean, 1882; Scorpaena colesi Nichols, 1914 / None. FAO names: En - Barbfish; Fr - Rascasse brésilienne; Sp - Rascacio chasnete rojo.

Diagnostic characters: Dorsal fin with 12 spines and 8 1/2 to 9 1/2 (usually 9 1/2) soft rays (last split to base and counted as 1 1/2).Pectoral fin with 16 to 20 rays, usually 19, some branched.Lacrimal bone with 2 spine on ventral margin, both point forward. Infaorbital bones 2 and 3 (suborbitals) with 1 and 2 often blunt spines re- spectively. Occipital pit present, deep, except in specimens less than 25 mm. Scales in 50 to 60 vertical rows. Vertebrae 24. Colour: body brown above, tan below, with 2 brown spots behind head; small brown spots on medial surface of pectoral fin. Size: Reaches 250 mm, common to 200 mm Habitat, biology, and fisheries: The most common scorpaenid along northern South American coast on shallow, soft bottoms, usually in less than 50 m, occasionally in coral reef areas.Its venom is potent.It supports an artisanal fishery primarily from use of beach nets and as bycatch of shrimp trawl fishery. It is usually not marketed, although the flesh is of good quality. This species is tolerant of low salinities and may be seasonal in Florida. Distribution: This species is widely distributed in the fishing area. It can be found southward from , around the Florida peninsula to Texas in the Gulf of Mexico. It is also reported from the Yucatán Peninsula and commonly from Haiti; also from Cuba, Jamaica, the Virgin Is- lands, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, the Do- minican Republic, Trinidad, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Its presence in the Bahamas is uncertain.

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