Scorpionfishes have venomous fin spines capable of inflicting serious or fatal wounds.   Fortunately the most dangerous species do not occur in Hawaii and injuries can be avoided by not standing on or touching the reef.  Injuries should be treated quickly by soaking the affected area in hot water.  They are ambush predators of small fish and crustaceans, sitting motionless until prey blunders into range.  Small species emerge at night to feed displaying a strikingly different color pattern.  Rockfishes are temperate species that don't appear prickly or stone-like.  These commercially- important fish are slow-growing, threatened by overfishing and habitat destruction by trawl nets.

HAWAIIAN or GREEN LIONFISH

HAWAIIAN TURKEYFISH

TITAN SCORPIONFISH

Scorpaenopsis diabolus

DEVIL SCORPIONFISH

SHORTSNOUT SCORPIONFISH

BALLIEU'S or SPOTFIN SCORPIONFISH

SPECKLED SCORPIONFISH

Taenianotus triacanthus

LEAF SCORPIONFISH

DECOY SCORPIONFISH

HIGH-EYE SCORPIONFISH or HAWAIIAN RHINOPIAS

DWARF SCORPIONFISH

Scorpaenodes kelloggi

KELLOGG'S SCORPIONFISH

CORAL SCORPIONFISH

LOWFIN SCORPIONFISH

CHEEKSPOT SCORPIONFISH

LIONFISH or TURKEYFISH

ZEBRA LIONFISH

SHORTFIN LIONFISH

STONEFISH

ESCHMEYER'S SCORPIONFISH

BEARDED GHOUL or SPINY DEVILFISH

MARBLED ROCKFISH    Kasago

DARK-BANDED ROCKFISH     Mebaru

SPOTTED SCORPIONFISH

STONE SCORPIONFISH

RAINBOW SCORPIONFISH

KELP ROCKFISH

PUGET SOUND ROCKFISH

QUILLBACK ROCKFISH

COPPER ROCKFISH

BLACK ROCKFISH

BLUE ROCKFISH