The Madeira rockfish (''Scorpaena maderensis'') is a species of scorpionfish (

Scorpaenidae The Scorpaenidae (also known as scorpionfish) are a family of mostly marine fish that includes many of the world's most venomous species. As their name suggests, scorpionfish have a type of "sting" in the form of sharp spines coated with venom ...

) in the genus ''

Scorpaena ''Scorpaena'' is a widespread genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. Taxonomy ''Scorpaena'' was first described as a genus in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th Edition of his ''Systema Naturae ...

,'' found in the coastal waters of the eastern

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

and the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

. This species reaches a length of around SL. The species was described by

Achille Valenciennes Achille Valenciennes (9 August 1794 – 13 April 1865) was a French zoologist. Valenciennes was born in Paris, and studied under Georges Cuvier. His study of parasitic worms in humans made an important contribution to the study of parasitology. ...

in 1833 after a specimen from

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

. Although ''S. maderensis'' is well represented in the areas that it is found, many key aspects of its biology are still unknown.

Description

The Madeira rockfish grows between 4.8 cm (1.89 in) and 13.1 cm (5.16 in) and weigh between 1.7 and 48.1 g, with males being larger in both categories. Females achieve their maximum size faster and live longer than males. The maximum recorded length for males and females is around 15 cm (5.91 in) and 9.0 cm (3.54 in) respectively. ''S. maderensis''exhibits many similar characteristics to other ''

'', such as spiny fins and a reddish-brown splotched color but there is a lack of sufficient specific information. However, one well-known similar characteristic is the presence venomous spines due to an anterolateral glandular grove containing venom. Venom from ''Scorpaenidae'' causes many health issues and can be fatal if not treated.

Distribution and habitat

The Madeira rockfish inhabits the

littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...

rocky coastal waters of the northwestern coast of Africa, the Mediterranean Sea and islands in the eastern Atlantic. ''S. maderensis'' is considered crypotbenthic, which describes fish that are

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

(living on in or on the seafloor) and cryptic (hiding in crevices or camouflaged). ''S. maderensis'' lives in the cracks and crevices of the rocky bottom, where it is able to hunt for prey and hide from predators. Gauging the abundance of ''S. maderensis''throughout the entire Mediterranean Sea is difficult due to lack of data; however extensive research has been done in th
Cyclops Protected Marine Area
off the coast of Sicily, and ''S. maderensis'' was found to be the dominant species in that area. There seems to be conflict on the preferred depth of ''S. maderensis'' as some research says 20 to 40m depth, while some finds it mostly above 7m and dropping off at 13m. This discrepancy is due to lack of data collected on ''S. maderensis'', making it difficult to pinpoint a concrete depth range.

Feeding habits

The Madeira rockfish feeds primarily on benthic and epibenthic crustaceans (decapods, amphipods and isopods), while sometimes consuming algae, gastropods, polychaetes and other fishes. Many of the organisms that ''S. maderensis'' consumes are considered rare or unimportant (the target prey of very few other species), showing that ''S. maderensis'' feeds on a wide variety of species along the trophic spectrum. S. maderensis also has a “strong individual feeding specialization," meaning that consumption varies from individual to individual because ''S. maderensis'' are opportunistic feeders, preying on whichever organisms happen to be around them. Feeding of ''S. maderensis'' follows a seasonal trend, with higher intensity in the winter months and lower intensity in the summer months.

Relationship to humans

The Madeira rockfish is a target species of the artisanal fisheries along the coasts but is in no danger of

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing fish stock), resulting in th ...

or extinction. While ''S. maderensis'' may not be in any danger, the artisanal fisheries may have a negative effect on its reproduction capabilities. Due to their venomous spines they can injure divers, fisherman and the casual swimmer if correct precautions are not taken.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1811869 maderensis Fish of the Mediterranean Sea Fauna of Madeira Fauna of Macaronesia Marine fauna of North Africa

Madeira rockfish The Madeira rockfish (''Scorpaena maderensis'') is a species of scorpionfish (Scorpaenidae) in the genus ''Scorpaena,'' found in the coastal waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. This species reaches a length of around ...