Barchin Scorpionfish

Sebastapistes strongia

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Scorpaenidae
Genus: Sebastapistes
Species: Sebastapistes strongia

The barchin scorpionfish (Sebastapistes strongia) is a small, mottled scorpionfish with a dark bar across its chin and a scatter of pale and reddish blotches that break up its outline. Fleshy flaps on its head help it vanish against rubble and coral.

It grows to only about 6-7 cm and spends the day tucked into branching corals, crevices and rubble, ambushing tiny fish and shrimps that wander too close. Like its larger relatives it carries venomous fin spines, so it should never be handled.

The barchin scorpionfish is found across the Indo-Pacific, including the Philippines, where sharp-eyed macro divers spot it hiding among coral branches on shallow reefs, especially at night. It is a smaller cousin of the Ambon scorpionfish.