sonora scorpionfish
Scorpaena sonorae
Small scorpionfish of the Mexican Pacific, of shallow bottoms and with venomous spines. It is commercially fished.
Also called: escorpião-de-sonora, escorpión de sonora, rascacio sonora, sonora scorpionfish
- maximum
- 16 cm
who is the sonora scorpionfish
The Sonora scorpionfish is a small fish of the family Scorpaenidae, growing to 15.8 cm standard length. It occurs in Mexico, in the eastern Pacific, between 22°N and 32°N, on shallow bottoms down to 30 m. It lives close to the bottom and has the typical scorpionfish form: stout body and large, spiny head. Its spines are venomous, so care is needed when handling it. It is commercially fished.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the sonora scorpionfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Small scorpionfish with a stout body and large spiny head, like others in the family. The popular name refers to Sonora, a Mexican coastal state. It resembles the California scorpionfish (Scorpaena guttata), but it is much smaller: it reaches 15.8 cm, versus 43 cm. It lives on shallow bottoms, down to 30 m.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
In Mexico, in the eastern Pacific, on shallow bottoms of the Mexican coast.
Habitat: Shallow bottoms of the Mexican coast, down to 30 m.
rules for the sonora scorpionfish
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
It has venomous spines on its fins. Use pliers or gloves to hold the fish, and release it carefully.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01349, b = 3.01; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Scorpaena sonorae (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Scorpaena sonoraeNames by country and language.
