Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 1839 



693. SCORPiENA (Artedi*) Linnaeus. 

 (SCORPION FISHES.) 



Scorpcena, ARTEDI, Genera, 17, xx, 47, 1738. 



Scorpcena, LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 266, 1758 (porcus). 



Neosebastes, GUICHENOT, M6m. Soc. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg, xin, 83, 1868 (panda). 



Parascorpcena, BLEEKER, Versl. Ak. Amst. (2), ix, pt. 3, 296, 1876 (picta). 



Pseudosebastes, SAUVAGE, Nouv. Arcb. Mas. (2), i, 1878, m fyougainmllii) . 



Sebastapistcs (GiLL MS.) STREETS, Bull. TJ. S. Nat. Mua., vii, 62, 1877 (strongia). 



Body oblong, soinewhtit compressed. Head large, not much compressed, 

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

 flaps. Month large, 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 tlie upper rays divided, the lower simple; ventrals inserted behind pecto- 

 rals. No air bladder. Vertebra3 10 + 14 = 24. Species numerous in the 

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

 sqnama'tion and armature very great, but, as in most similar cases, it is 

 not easy to find definite characters for subdivision. (tiHopnaiva, the 

 ancient name of Scorpcena scrofa, from 6xop7riog, scorpion, in allusion to the 

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

 Greek name of ^Kopitaiva (Scorpcvna scrofa}. According to Apostolides, 

 tiKOpitioc, is now the common name of Scorpwna porcus. 2Kop7tio$=scor- 

 pion. As name of a fish, Aristotle 1531, 20, 508ft, 17, 593a 7, 598 14. It has 

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

 the open sea and the shallow water along the shore; the dxop7tide$, breed 

 in the open sea (TO Tte\ayo<C). (Athen., vn, 115. Num.) "Red tinop- 

 itioc,." Hicesius says: "Of the tinopTtioi one kind is pelagic, the other, 

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

 the dxoprtios Ttoinikos, variegated. It is solitary and eats seaweed. Aris- 

 totle mentions dnopTttoi and (jxoprtldes in different places. It is not clear 

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

 eaten both tfnopTtaiva and 6nopTtioi and that the flavors are different, no 

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

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

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

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



* Tbe following European species of Scorpcena bas been attributed to our fauna, prob- 

 ably by error: 



Scorpcena porous, LINN^US. (Pig-foot; Scorp6ne) : D.XIIIJO; A. Ill, 5; lateral line 40. 

 Body oblong, compressed; back somewbat elevated, bigbest at origin of spinous dorsal; 

 snborbital stay close to eye, without any pit between it and the eye,- supraocular flap 

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

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

 and nuchal spines present; a pit before occipital spines ; opercnlarand preopercular spines 

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

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

 Fins high ; pectorals much less procurrent at base than in $. plumieri, reaching beyond 

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

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

 darker, and dotted with black ; much less variegated thau in S. plumieri -, usually a black 



