Sonora Scorpionfish, Scorpaena sonorae
Sonora Scorpionfish, Scorpaena sonorae. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, December 2009. Length: 13 cm (5.1 inches). Identification courtesy of Dr. John Hyde, NOAA, La Jolla, California.
Sonora Scorpionfish, Scoraena sonorae. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of Bahía Kino, Sonora, March 2015. Length: 10.9 cm (4.3 inches). Photograph courtesy of Maria Johnson, Prescott College Kino Bay Center, Kino Bay, Sonora.
The Sonora Scorpionfish, Scorpaena sonorae, is a member of the Rockfish and Scorpionfish or Scorpaenidae Family, and known in Mexico as escorpión de Sonora. Globally, there are fifty-nine species in the genus Scorpaena, of which sixteen are found in Mexican waters, ten in the Atlantic and six in the Pacific Ocean.
The Sonora Scorpionfish has a spine-laden compressed elongated oval-shaped body that taper toward the tail; their body depth is 28% to 32% of standard length. They vary significantly in color and feature various shades of mottled reds and browns with irregular dark bars on their sides and white on their belly. A key to identification is a large round dark spot on their soft dorsal fin. Their anal fin is red with wide bars; their caudal fin has black and white bars; their pectoral fins are deep red and disproportionately large; and their pelvic fins are reddish. These fins all have black margins. Their head is very bony with numerous spines and a short snout. Their head and body are covered with numerous skin flaps. They have large eyes. They have small weakly developed depressions (pits) before and after their eyes and the ridge below their eyes has zero to two small spines. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 5 rays; their caudal fin is straight; their dorsal fin has 12 or 13 spines and 8 or 9 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 19 to 21 rays. They are covered with smooth scales. Their bodies lack skin flaps.
The Sonora Scorpionfish is found at depths up to 91 m (300 feet). They reach a maximum of 18.0 cm (7.1 inches) in length. The Sonora Scorpionfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Sonora Scorpionfish is resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with the exception that they are absent from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, northward along the central and northwest coasts of Baja.
The Sonora Scorpionfish cannot be confused with any other species due to its Scorpionfish-like appearance and the dark blotch on the top of its soft dorsal fin.
From a conservation perspective the Sonora Scorpionfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable and widely distributed populations. They are rare and small in stature and of limited interest to most. Caution: As with all Scorpionfish, the Sonora Scorpionfish should be treated as “hazardous” and released as soon as possible, being careful not to allow their poisonous spines to penetrate the skin.