Fish of the Scorpaena genus of the Scorpaenidae (scorpionfishes) family of the suborder Scorpaenoidei of the Scorpaeniformes order of the Acanthopterygii superorder.
(Small red scorpionfish. Photo by © Dein Freund der Baum. en.wikipedia.org)
Small red scorpionfish (Scorpaena notata) was first described in 1810 by the American naturalist, zoologist and botanist Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783-1840).
It inhabits the depth of 10-700 meters, prefers to swim close to the rocky bottom mainly near the coast. The maximum recorded length is 24 cm; specimens up to 12 cm long are more common. It feeds on crustaceans and small fish.
(Small red scorpionfish. Photo by © Fabio Crocetta. fishbase.org)
It is a permanent inhabitant of the Adriatic Sea.
The spines of the dorsal fin contain venom, which causes severe pain when pricking, and major complications are possible. The venom disintegrates by heat treatment.
Names of small red scorpionfish (Scorpaena notata) in other languages as follows:
Shkerpi i hirtë (Albanian), Σκορπίδι (Skorpidi) (Greek), Escorpena (Spanish), Scorfanotto (Italian), Kleiner Roter Drachenkopf (German), Skorpena najeż (Polish), Rascasso-escorpião (Portuguese), Малая скорпена (Malaja skorpena) (Russian), Škrpinica, Škarpinica (Serbian, Croatian), Mala škarpena (Slovenian), Altın iskorpit balığı (Turkish), Petite rascasse (French).