False stone fish

Scientific name : Scorpaenopsis diabolus

Large, very cryptic scorpion fish, sometimes confused with the stone fish. Variable colour, usually it matches the bottom. Prominent humpback. The posterior part of the pectoral fin is orange with concentric yellow stripes and black spots toward the edge. 30 cm. Scorpaenopsis macrochir is very similar, but it has larger eyes, less pronounced hump, and a different pectoral fin colour pattern. S. gibbosa, very similar apart the colour of the pectoral fin, lives only in the Indian Ocean. The common name suggests a certain resemblance with the stone fish Synanceia verrucosa, that has shorter snout, upward mouth and a groove between the eyes.