Peruvian Scorpionfish, Scorpaena afuerae
Peruvian Scorpionfish, Scorpaena afuerae. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, August 2004. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches).
Peruvian Scorpionfish, Scorpaena afuerae. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, May 2019. Length: 21 cm (8.3 inches).
Peruvian Scorpionfish, Scorpaena afuerae. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, February 2021. Length: 31 cm (12 inches).
Peruvian Scorpionfish, Scorpaena afuerae. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, February 2021. Length: 33 cm (13 inches). Very interesting unique head cirri.
Peruvian Scorpionfish, Scorpaena afuerae. Fish caught from coastal waters off Ildefonso Island, Loreto, Baja California Sur, April 2019. Length: 33 cm (13 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.
Peruvian Scorpionfish, Scorpaena afuerae. Fish caught from coastal waters at a depth of 82 m (270 feet) off Los Barriles, Baja California Sur, March 2021. Length: 38 cm (15 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Chip Shapley, Los Barriles. Note that the dorsal fin is significantly damaged most likely due to an encounter with a predator when this fish was a juvenile.
The Peruvian Scorpionfish, Scorpaena afuerae, is a member of the Rockfish and Scorpionfish or Scorpaenidae Family, and is known in Mexico as rascacio párlamo. Globally, there are fifty-nine species in the genus Scorpaena, of which sixteen are found in Mexican waters, ten in the Atlantic Ocean and six in the Pacific Ocean.
The Peruvian Scorpionfish has a spine-laden compressed rectangular-shaped body that tapers posteriorly that has a body depth that is 33% to 37% of standard length. They are scarlet red with brown mottling. With the exception of the anterior portion of the dorsal fin, their fins have irregular bars and darker spotting. Their head is enlarged, depressed, bulbous, and very bony with numerous spines. They have small eyes. There is a deep depression (pit) before and after their eyes and the ridge below their eyes has 3 or 4 spines. Their gill cover has 5 spines; the first is the largest and the second is well developed. There is a row of 3 spines behind their eyes and 2 spines at the upper edge of their gill cover. They have skin flaps above and in front of their upper jaw, which are absent from their lower jaw and body. Their fins are large and the anal fin has 3 spines and 5 rays; their caudal fin is rounded with a ragged margin; their dorsal fin has 12 spines and 9 or 10 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 19 to 21 rays. They have 15 or 16 gill rakers and their bodies are covered with smooth scales.
The Peruvian Scorpionfish is found at depths between 35 m (115 feet) and 100 m (330 feet) within rocky structures and rubble bottoms. They reside on the bottom during daylight hours but become voracious predators during the night, feeding on small crabs, small fish, octopus, and shrimp. They reach a maximum of 38 cm (15 inches) in length, with this length established by a fish that I caught. As of January 1, 2023, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 0.65 kg (1 lb 7 oz) with the fish caught by my good friend Chris Wheaton from coastal waters off Loreto, Baja California Sur, in April 2019. The Peruvian 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 Peruvian Scorpionfish was believed to only reside in waters of Costa Rica, the Cocos Islands, and Peru but I have caught this species in and around Gordo Bank I (109.2oW, 23.1oN), 25 miles into the Sea of Cortez and also in waters west of Todos Santos, establishing the presence of this species in coastal waters if Baja California Sur in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean. In April 2019, Chris Wheaton caught the fish photographed above in waters adjacent to Ildefonso Island in the greater Loreto area documenting the presence of this species well into the Sea of Cortez.
The Peruvian Scorpionfish is very similar in appearance and can be confused with the California Scorpionfish, Scorpaena guttata (heavily spotted body and fins) and the Red Scorpionfish, Pontinus furcichinus (long third dorsal spine).
From a conservation perspective the Peruvian Scorpionfish is currently considered to be if Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are generally too small and difficult to handle, thus are mostly a “catch and release”. Caution: As with all Scorpionfish, the Peruvian Scorpionfish should be treated as “hazardous” and released as soon as possible, being careful not to allow their poisonous spines to penetrate the skin.