Dr. Vasilis Gerovasileiou, Griechenland
Info
Scorpaenodes arenai is the only member of the genus Scorpaenodes in the Mediterranean Sea.
This species of scorpionfish was described from the Atlantic waters around the Azores in 1995, with further reports of finds from the Mediterranean in 2015.
Around the capital of the Azores, Ponta Delgada, which belongs to Portugal, and around the smaller Azorean islands of Formigas, specimens were collected in relatively shallow water zones between 15 - 31 meters over rocky bottoms with a dense carpet of macroalgae.
The most recent reports from the Mediterranean Sea were from the Strait of Messina / Strait of Messina between Calabria on the Italian Peninsula and the island of Sicily, where several land driven dead specimens of the species were covered and determined.
All these specimens showed very clear effects of barotrauma.
Live specimens were observed at four sites in the central Mediterranean using a remotely operated ROV, the Pollux 3, equipped with a Nikon D80 camera.
The color of Scorpaenodes arenai was also peculiar and was characterized by vertical bars as described for stranded specimens. In addition, the vertical bars seen on the caudal fin of Scorpaena porcus and Scorpaena maderensis were not present on Scorpaena arenai.
The occurrence of Scorpaenodes arenai in the Gulf of Naples and the Cape of Milazzo (Tyrrhenian Sea) and in Graham Bank (Strait of Sicily) was recorded for the first time
recorded by underwater observation. All individuals ROV observed exhibited a particular behavior, which consisted in behavior to the day, which consisted in moving belly up at the entrance small rock crevices in search of potential prey.
In addition, the fish exhibited evasive behavior when the ROV attempted to approach them to within 3 - 4 meters and quickly swam into the crevices.
The underwater footage showed for the first time the habitat preference of this species, which was through deep rocky ledges, in areas that had little or no cnidarians such as (e.g. sea fans, black coral, which are actually common in this habitat.
The animals in the Mediterranean Sea were found at greater depths than those around the Azores, between 70-135 meters.
We give special thanks to Prof. Dr. Vasilis Gerovasileiou, Greece, for the first photo of a living animal!
Literature reference:
P. Battaglia, S. Canese, G. Ammendolia, T. Romeo, R. Sandulli, L. Tunesi & F. Andaloro (2015): New
records and underwater observation of the rare fish Scorpaenodes arenai (Osteichthyes: Scorpaenidae) from the central and
western Mediterranean Sea, Italian Journal of Zoology, DOI: 10.1080/11250003.2015.1028485
This species of scorpionfish was described from the Atlantic waters around the Azores in 1995, with further reports of finds from the Mediterranean in 2015.
Around the capital of the Azores, Ponta Delgada, which belongs to Portugal, and around the smaller Azorean islands of Formigas, specimens were collected in relatively shallow water zones between 15 - 31 meters over rocky bottoms with a dense carpet of macroalgae.
The most recent reports from the Mediterranean Sea were from the Strait of Messina / Strait of Messina between Calabria on the Italian Peninsula and the island of Sicily, where several land driven dead specimens of the species were covered and determined.
All these specimens showed very clear effects of barotrauma.
Live specimens were observed at four sites in the central Mediterranean using a remotely operated ROV, the Pollux 3, equipped with a Nikon D80 camera.
The color of Scorpaenodes arenai was also peculiar and was characterized by vertical bars as described for stranded specimens. In addition, the vertical bars seen on the caudal fin of Scorpaena porcus and Scorpaena maderensis were not present on Scorpaena arenai.
The occurrence of Scorpaenodes arenai in the Gulf of Naples and the Cape of Milazzo (Tyrrhenian Sea) and in Graham Bank (Strait of Sicily) was recorded for the first time
recorded by underwater observation. All individuals ROV observed exhibited a particular behavior, which consisted in behavior to the day, which consisted in moving belly up at the entrance small rock crevices in search of potential prey.
In addition, the fish exhibited evasive behavior when the ROV attempted to approach them to within 3 - 4 meters and quickly swam into the crevices.
The underwater footage showed for the first time the habitat preference of this species, which was through deep rocky ledges, in areas that had little or no cnidarians such as (e.g. sea fans, black coral, which are actually common in this habitat.
The animals in the Mediterranean Sea were found at greater depths than those around the Azores, between 70-135 meters.
We give special thanks to Prof. Dr. Vasilis Gerovasileiou, Greece, for the first photo of a living animal!
Literature reference:
P. Battaglia, S. Canese, G. Ammendolia, T. Romeo, R. Sandulli, L. Tunesi & F. Andaloro (2015): New
records and underwater observation of the rare fish Scorpaenodes arenai (Osteichthyes: Scorpaenidae) from the central and
western Mediterranean Sea, Italian Journal of Zoology, DOI: 10.1080/11250003.2015.1028485
