Raggy scorpion fish

Scientific name : Scorpaenopsis venosa

Typical scorpion fish, with large head, many skin flaps and appendages, barbels below the lower jaw, very variable colour, often marbled. The first 3 dorsal spines increase in lenght evenly. The distance between eye and snout is almost equal to the orbital diameter. 25 cm. Scorpaenopsis species identification can be impossible in the wild, especially with small specimens. S. venosa is one of the typical large scorpion fishes encountered in tropical environment. It is well identified from the other common species, Scorpaenopsis oxycephala, because the latter has longer snout, second and third dorsal spines almost equal in lenght, and is more common on coral reefs.