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

SHORTSNOUT SCORPIONFISH

SPECKLED SCORPIONFISH

BALLIEU'S or SPOTFIN SCORPIONFISH

Taenianotus triacanthus

LEAF SCORPIONFISH

Scorpaenopsis diabolus

DEVIL SCORPIONFISH

DECOY SCORPIONFISH

HIGH-EYE SCORPIONFISH or HAWAIIAN RHINOPIAS

CHEEKSPOT SCORPIONFISH

Scorpaenodes kelloggi

KELLOGG'S SCORPIONFISH

CORAL SCORPIONFISH

LOWFIN SCORPIONFISH

DWARF SCORPIONFISH

MILKY SCORPIONFISH

LARGE-HEADED SCORPIONFISH

LIONFISH or TURKEYFISH

JAPANESE LIONFISH    Minokasago

SPOTFIN LIONFISH

ZEBRA LIONFISH

SHORTFIN LIONFISH

STONEFISH

BAR-CHIN SCORPIONFISH

YELLOW-SPOTTED SCORPIONFISH

PAPUAN SCORPIONFISH

TASSLED SCORPIONFISH

POSS'S SCORPIONFISH

BEARDED GHOUL or SPINY DEVILFISH

PADDLE-FLAP RHINOPIAS

WEEDY RHINOPIAS

MARBLED ROCKFISH    Kasago

DARK-BANDED ROCKFISH     Mebaru

SNOWY ROCKFISH     Gomasoi

KOREAN ROCKFISH     Kurosoi

OBLONG ROCKFISH

Takenokomebaru

HILGENDORF'S ROCKFISH

Yumekasago

SMALLMOUTH SCORPIONFISH

Kokuchi-fusakasago

SPOTTED SCORPIONFISH

STONE SCORPIONFISH

RAINBOW SCORPIONFISH

PUGET SOUND ROCKFISH

BLACK ROCKFISH

BLUE ROCKFISH

COPPER ROCKFISH

KELP ROCKFISH

TREEFISH

OLIVE ROCKFISH

GRASS ROCKFISH

VERMILION ROCKFISH

SPOTTED SCORPIONFISH

OCELLATED WASPFISH

COCKATOO WASPFISH

REDFIN WASPFISH    Haokoze