Rosy Scorpionfish, Pontinus species A
Rosy Scorpionfish, Pontinus species A. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, February 2021. Length: 19 cm (7.5 inches).
Rosy Scorpionfish, Pontinus species A. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, January 2010. Length: 30 cm (11.8 inches). Identification courtesy of H.J. Walker, Jr., Scripps Institution of Oceanography and reconfirmed by Dr. John Hyde, NOAA, La Jolla, California.
The Rosy Scorpionfish, Pontinus species A, is a member of the Rockfish and Scorpionfish or Scorpaenidae Family, and known in Mexico as puñal rosado. Globally, there are twenty-one species in the genus Pontinus, of which seven are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and four in the Pacific Ocean. This species is quite new to science, thus its taxonomy has not yet been fully documented and formally assigned.
The Rosy Scorpionfish has a wide compressed body that taper toward both ends with a body depth is 37% to 41% of standard length. Overall they are pinkish-red (rosy) with a white head and belly. The have irregular brown bars on their sides and a broken brown line along their lateral line. Their fins are reddish with brown spotting on their caudal, soft dorsal, and pectoral fins. Their head is very bony with numerous spines. They have large mouths and large eyes. They lack the “pits” before and after the eyes found in most other Scorpionfish. The uppermost spine on their gill cover is the longest. Their anal fin has 3 spines, the second being the longest, and 3 rays; their caudal fin is straight; their dorsal fin has 7 spines (the second, third, and fourth being the longest and of approximately equal length), and 9 or 10 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 16 to 18 rays. They have 13 gill rakers. Theeir body is covered with rough scales.
The Rosy Scorpionfish is found around rocky structures at depths between 46 m (150 feet) and 137 m (450 feet). They reach a maximum of 30 cm (12 inches) in length, with this length established by a fish in my possession. The Rosy Scorpionfish is an exceedingly rare species with a very limited distribution and are seldom seen by humans, and 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 Rosy Scorpionfish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean but has a limited range being found from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, southward along the southwest coast of Baja and along the west coast of the mainland from Mazatlán, Sinaloa to Guatemala. They are absent from the Sea of Cortez.
The Rosy Scorpionfish is most likely confused with the Speckled Scorpionfish, Pontinus sierra (lacks prominent spotting on caudal and soft dorsal fins).
From a conservation perspective the Rosy Scorpionfish has not been formally evaluated. Although fairly rare, the Rosy Scorpionfish are considered good eating fish. However, they are difficult to handle, thus are mostly a “catch and release”. Caution: As with all Scorpionfish, the Rosy Scorpionfish should be treated as “hazardous” and released as soon as possible, being careful not to allow their poisonous spines to penetrate the skin.