Midwater scorpionfish (Ectreposebastes imus)

Scientific name: Ectreposebastes imus Garman, 1899

Midwater scorpionfish (Ectreposebastes imus)

The Midwater scorpionfish (Ectreposebastes imus) is a marine fish of the family Setarchidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 11 - 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-11; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 5 - 7. Swim bladder lacking or rudimentary; bones poorly ossified; spine weak and usually broken during capture; scales thin and deciduous, and white body musculature soft and flabby. Lateral line more or less a continuous trough covered by thin membranous scales, usually lost during capture. Body is black in small specimens; maroon and black in adults. Buccal cavity black with patches of bright orange and red in life; pharyngeal teeth red or orange.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Ectreposebastes imus
Family
Setarchidae (Deep-sea bristly scorpionfishes)
Order
Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and Flatheads)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
18.0
Common length
10.0
Depth range
150–2000 m (492–6562 ft)
Environment
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 150 - 2000 m, usually 500 - 850 m
Climate
Deep-water
Distribution
Atlantic, Indian and Pacific: in tropical and temperate waters. Eastern Atlantic: tropical western Africa. Western Atlantic: Canada to Gulf of Mexico to Suriname.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Venomous
Uses
Fisheries: minor commercial

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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