SCORPAENIDAE 



{Scorpion fish) 



The Scorpaenidae which we most frequently met with in the 

 Red Sea were pterois (flying scorpions or devil-fish). They 

 are ugly to the point of being terrifying, but their colouring, 

 ranging from pink to red and brown, their enormous Ian- 

 shaped pectoral fins and the dorsal fin which waves like a 

 mane along all the body, are at the same time wonderful. 



From repeated observations we ascertained that members 

 of this group remain on the sea-floor, or more especially in 

 the cracks and cavities of the coral masses during the day. 

 During the hours of daylight we could observe the pterois 

 only by putting the glass of our masks on to the coral wall 

 and looking into the darkest recesses. Like all Scorpaenidae 

 their natural camouflage is amazing, but once they have been 

 spotted they are easily caught, especially with an under- 

 water gun. At the approach of dusk the pterois abandon the 

 depths, and with a graceful flapping of their pectoral fins 

 and a light twitch of the dorsal they rise slowly up to half 

 depth and remain there. They are usually not alone but in 

 the company of four or five of their kind. Then with a har- 

 monious undulating action, all their fins opened like fans, 

 they begin to describe graceful movements. We were unable 

 to decide whether this dance was connected with a search 

 for food or with courting. In my opinion the second hypo- 

 thesis is more convincing. It is obviously easier for this fish 

 to feed on the sea-bottom, where it is not very noticeable, 



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