Jordan and Evcrmann. — Fishes of North America. 1839 



693. SCORP^NA (Artedi*) Linnaeus. 



(Scorpion Fishes.) 



Scorpcma, Artedi, Genera, 17, xs, 47, 1738. 



Scorpcena, LINN.EDS, Syat. Nat., Ed. x, 266, 1758 (porcui). 



Neosebastes, Guichenot, M6m.Soc. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg, SIII, 83, 1868 (panda). 



Parascorpcena, Bleeker, Versl. Ak. Amst. (2), ix, pt. 3, 296, 1876 (pieta). 



Pseudosebastes, Sauvage, Nouv. Arcb. Mas. (2), i, 1878, iii (boiigainvilUi) . 



Sebastapistes (Gill MS.) Streets, Bull. U. S.Nat. Mu3.,vii, 62, 1877 (stronaia). 



Body oblong, somewhat compressed. Head Large, not much compressed, 

 naked above, and more or less uneven with spinous ridges, often with dermal 

 flaps. Mouth laiiic, with bands of villiform teeth on jaws, vomer, and pal- 

 atines. Scales mostly ctenoid, of moderate size, often with skinny flaps. 

 Dorsal fin with 12 stout spines ; anal with 3 spines, the second commonly the 

 longest ; pectorals large, rounded, the base usually procurrent ; some or all 

 of the upper rays divided, the lower simple ; veutrals inserted behind pecto- • 

 rals. No air bladder. Vertebrte 10 + 14 = 24. Species numerous in the 

 tropical seas; fishes of singular forms and bright colors; the variation in 

 squamatiou and armature very great, but, as in most similar cases, it is 

 not easy to find definite characters for subdivision, {dnopitaiva, the 

 ancient name of Scorpcena scrofa, from dHopTtio^, scorpion, in allusion to the 

 dorsal spines, which inflict a very painful sting-like wound. The modern 

 Greek name of SnopTtaiva (Scorpwna scrofa). According to Apostolides, 

 (jKopitioc, is now the common name oi Scorpana porcus. ^%o/37rz'o?^scor- 

 pion. As name of a fish, Aristotle 1531f/, 20, 508?>, 17, 593rt 7, 598(( 14. It has 

 many pyloric appendages, breeds (spawns) twice a year, alternates lietween 

 the open sea and the shallow water along the shore; the 6Hopiti8£i, breed 

 in the open sea (ro TteXayo<i). (Athen., vii, 115. Num.) "Red (5Kop- 

 Ttioz" Hicesius says: "Of the 6Kopitioi one kind is pelagic, the other, 

 littoral; the former is a fiery red, the latter blackish." Epicharmus calls 

 the 6Kopitio<i itoiuiXoc,, variegated. It is solitary and eats seaweed. Aris- 

 totle mentions dHopitloi and dHopiti^Ei in different places. It is not clear 

 whether he means the same fish by these names. That we have frequently 

 eaten both dnopTtaiva and dnopnioi and that the flavors are different, no 

 one is ignorant. Archestratus, in his "Golden Words," says : "Buy the 

 small dKopitioc,, but beware of a big one." (Athen., viii, 52. ) The tawny, 

 pelagic dHopnioi are more nutritious than the large ones of the shoal 

 water near shore.) (Horace A. Hoftman.) 



* The following European species of Scorpcena has been attributed to our fauna, prob- 

 ably by error: 



Scorpcena po reus, LiNN^rs. (Pig-foot; Scorpene) : D. XIII, 10; A. Ill, 5; lateral line 40. 

 Body oblong, compressed; back somewhat elevated, highest at origin of spinous dorsal; 

 suborbital stay close to eye, without any pit between it and the eye; supraocular flap 

 broad, a little lower than" eye; no tiaps on posterior edge of preopercle, 4 on occipital 

 region, few along lateral line; preocular, supraocular, tympanic, occipital, exoccipital, 

 and nuchal sjiines present; a pit before occipital spines ; opercular and preopercular spines 

 short; maxillary reaching posterior margin of orbit. Scales present on postocular region 

 and upper part of preopercle ; scales on Dody somewhat regularly placed ; breast naked. 

 Fins high ; pectorals much less procurrent at base than in ,S'. 2)hi'mieri. reaching beyond 

 tips of veutrals, which reach anal; spines slender, the second anal slender, little longer 

 than third. Gill rakers short and thick. Reddish brown, much mottled above with 

 darker, and dotted with black ; much leas variegated than in S. plumieri; usually a black 



