Paddle Flap Scorpionfish/Rhinopias

Description:

This fish can walk. Although they do swim, but most of the time, they move around using their pectoral fins, like 'walking'. They are ambush predators and tends to stay still to blend in with their environment and lunge at their prey. They come in variety of colours - red, pink, yellow, white, purple, grey and have appendages above their eyes that stands out. The Paddle Flap scorpionfish, Rhinopias eschmeyeri, is a benthic marine fish which belongs to the family Scorpaenidae or also known as the Scorpionfishes family.

Habitat:

The Paddle Flap scorpionfish lives in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Australia and from South Africa to the Caroline Islands. They are found in depths ranging from 13 to 90 meters. This one was spotted in Bali at around 15 meters where water temperature was rather cold i.e. below 20C.

Notes:

This species is sometimes confused with another 2 species of Rhinopias - Rhinopias aphanes (Lacey) and Rhinopias frondosa (Weedy) however, very often, when 2 or more Rhinopias are seen together at the same location, it is usually Rhinopias eschmeyeri and Rhinopias frondosa. Although this two are known to be 2 different species, however recent video footage showing this 2 species mating may verify that the 2 species are indeed just 1 species, with one a Male variation and the other the Female variation. Rhinopias frondosa was described in 1892, and Rhinopias eschmeyeri in 1977, so R. frondosa would presumably be the valid name. Please watch the video to see the mating Rhinopias : https://vimeo.com/130118204 Pic#3 shows the other Rhinopias frondosa nearby, which was posted as another Spotting.