player scorpionfish
Scorpaena histrio
Scorpionfish of rocky bottoms of the Pacific, from Mexico to Chile. It has venomous spines and is of interest to sport fishing.
Also called: escorpião-jogador, escorpión jugador, brujo con mancha, player scorpionfish
- maximum
- 26 cm
- depth
- 5–157 m
who is the player scorpionfish
The plumed scorpionfish is a fish of the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It lives on rocky bottoms, 5 to 157 m deep, and occurs in the eastern Pacific, from Mazatlán, Mexico, to Chile, including the Galápagos Islands. Like other scorpionfishes, it waits motionless on the bottom for prey. It grows to 26 cm, and the common size is 12 cm. The family's spines are venomous, so handling requires care. It has potential interest for fishing and is considered a sport fish.
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 player scorpionfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Stout body with a large, spiny head, as in all scorpionfishes. The popular names refer to dark spots on the body, which help camouflage the fish among the rocks. On the same coast live the reddish scorpionfish (Scorpaena russula) and the Sonora scorpionfish (Scorpaena sonorae), much smaller, up to 15 cm, while this one reaches 26 cm. It lives on rocky bottoms, 5 to 157 m deep.
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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
Eastern Pacific, from Mazatlán, Mexico, to Chile, including the coasts of Ecuador and Peru and the Galápagos Islands, on rocky bottoms.
Habitat: Rocky bottoms of the coast, 5 to 157 m deep.
rules for the player 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.
The family's spines are venomous: hold the fish with pliers or gloves, away from the spiny fins, 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 histrio (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 histrioNames by country and language.
