Common Name: Barchin Scorpionfish

Distribution: Uncommon to rare in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region: from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Society Islands, north to Taiwan, south to Australia. In Australia recorded from Exmouth and offshore islands in northern Western Australia, the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef in Queensland south to northern New South Wales. 

Ecological Notes: Frequents mixed sand and rubble substrate, shallow lagoons and channels. Depth 0 – 37 m, usually 0 – 3 m.

Additional Notes: Large eyes with radiating stripes, sometimes with branched cirri above. Commonly seen Eastern Red Scorpionfish, Scorpaena jacksoniensis has more reddish colouring, prominent black spots on the belly and the pale saddle at the caudal peduncle is usually more distinct. Small, shy species usually in hiding during daylight hours, coming out in the open at night to feed on small fishes and crustaceans. Grows to 10 cm. Identification thanks to Dr Hiroyuki Motomura, Australian Museum Research Associate, from Kagoshima University Museum, Japan.

References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.79.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=sebastapistes+strongia. Accessed 08/07/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://fishbase.ca/summary/Sebastapistes-strongia.html. Accessed 08/07/18.