Original drawing in "Guid d'identification des poissons marins Europe et Mediterranee" by Patrick Louisy

Family: SCORPAENIDAE

Length: from 15 to 25 cm

Distribution: Eastern Atlantic, Bay of Biscay, south France to Senegal, Madeira, Canary islands, Azores, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea (S. n. afimbria), rare in northern Adriatic Sea.

Depth: from 2 to 700 meters.

Food: crustaceans and small fishes.

General info: Occurs on rocky and littoral habitats, sandy or muddy bottoms. Little is known about its reproduction (spawns probably in May). Looks very similar with S. porcus. The two species differ on supraorbital tentacles (short in S. notata). It is a valuable food fish (the main ingredient for a good bouillabaisse). It is venomous. Their venom is heat instable and becoming less powerful by running as hot water as one can tolerate on the area that was punctured. Adapts well in captivity.

Photo was taken in about 20 meters in a typical Mediterranean reef near Syros island by G. Rigoutsos (hobbyist scuba diver, member of the Nautical Ecological and Cultural Association