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I’d wager that most serious divers are aware that due to their
tropical West Atlantic invasion, Lionfishes are potentially dangerous to
touch… that some of their stout fin spines can deliver painful toxin
along with mechanical injury. I’d further guess that there is an even
larger group that knows these fishes to be delicious to consume;
delectable even. But few dive-community people are knowledgeable
regarding just how many Scorpion or “Mail-Cheeked” species of fishes
there are; but they should be. Several of these are also painfully
venomous; though quite a few can also be delightful food items.
Here
I’ll present the usual few examples of incidences of puncture and
envenomation; how to avoid such, and a not-too exhaustive systematic
review of Scorpionfishes I have encountered. You will be surprised at
how many you too have met up with; and hopefully become more cautious in
looking for them.
Scorpaeniform Fishes on Parade!
All told there are 25 “Scorpionfish” families, of about 166
genera, comprising some 1,271 species. There are "a bunch" of
"Scorpionfishes" to put it mildly. All have large heads bearing spiky
processes, with most having large eyes and mouths to match... for the
most these fishes are sedentary to slow moving, cryptically marked and
camouflaged, serving for surprise attack to stalking fishes... many, but
not all are venomous... with hollow dorsal fin spines that can inject
(with mechanical pressure) powerful proteinaceous toxin... These stings
HURT mechanically and chemically! For brevity’s sake we’ll only cover
the groups whose members you’re more likely to come upon.
Family Scorpaenidae,
the Scorpionfishes and Rockfishes. 56 plus genera and 388 species.
Subfamily Scorpaeninae, Scorpionfishes and more. 15 plus genera
with more than 150 species.
Subfamily Pteroinae: The Lionfishes, Turkeyfishes among many other
common names. Five genera, 17 species.
Subfamily Tetraroginae: Sailback Scorpionfishes or Waspfishes.
Eleven genera of 35 species.
Subfamily Choridactylinae (Inimicinae): Two genera, ten species. From
browns, reds, whites to mottled in colors.
Subfamily Synanceinae, Stonefishes. Six genera, ten species. Very often
go unseen, though present.
Some Painful Meet-Up Examples:
Our dive-trip patriarch, JackM is a long-standing scuba adventurer
having logged several hundred dives in dozens of countries around the
world. His practice in demanding that our collection of dive friends
agree on the “next” itinerary ahead of the coming one has helped us to
stay on a schedule of live-aboard and resort experiences for decades.
His one serious fault is a lack of caution underwater… a laxity in where
his body is and a propensity for “touching things”.
Some pertinent examples with Scorpionfishes have occurred while Jack and
I have been out in N. Sulawesi in Indonesia, Sipadan in Malaysia and
Taveuni in Fiji… all involving his apparent carelessness in setting his
hands down on the bottom without careful observation. On just one dive
in Lembeh Strait Jack touched down on a Scorpaenopsis venosa AND
S. diabolus!
A Personal Petfish Odyssey:
On returning from living in Japan in the late sixties (father was a
lifer in the Navy), I resumed working in the field of ornamental
aquatics in Southern Cal. On one excursion to the Mecca of wholesalers
in Los Angeles I was fortunate to make a sojourn enroute to “Doc” Adams
place, Long Beach Aquarium. This location was incredible to me;
thousands of not-plumbed together glass tanks for freshwater holding and
“refrigerator linings” for marines. In my naiveté I reached into one of
these had had a dead Pterois Lionfish floating at the surface… and got
stung but good. The take home message here is that these fishes mode of
injection of venom is purely mechanical… you and or they or both coming
together to force venom from sacks near the base of fin spines… whether
the poison-bearer is alive or no. So… even in death, watch how you
handle them.
Prevention: Avoidance!
Forewarned is forearmed! And speaking about forearms; you’ve got to
watch where your body is… and stay off the bottom; rocky, sandy or
otherwise. Remember; these fishes rely on hiding in plain view, some
under the muck and sand to avoid detection and act as ambush predators.
Though some of the “above the bottom” species may seem to aggressively
approach divers at times; the vast majority of sting incidents occur
from hapless divers setting their hand, legs et al. right on the
envenomizing fish. Be aware of your surroundings; look for these fishes.
Some species are quite common within their distribution… just overlooked
by divers.
Once Stung:
You’ll definitely know if you’ve been poked… the mechanical injury
itself is painful; and depending on just how hard you’ve pushed onto the
animal, some venom may be forced into the wound. A sensation not unlike
a social insect (bee, wasp…) sting is immediate, followed by a burning
feeling, swelling and tenderness from the wound, spreading outward
within minutes.
As with insect stings, reactions vary widely to Scorpionfish venom. Some
folks report mild discomfort; others difficulty breathing, paralysis and
delirium. IF you’ve been Envenomized, you should exit the water, inform
others that you’ve been stung, and soak the punctured area ASAPractical
with as warm freshwater as you can tolerate to denature the
proteinaceous venom. Severe reaction, concerns call for immediate
medical attention.
Fish hard-spine (anterior dorsal, anal fin) wounds are painful period;
potentially leaving antigens in you whether there is venom involvement
or not. The wound itself should be cleansed, dried and a topical
anesthetic applied; followed by covering the area with a non-binding,
light bandage.
Some folks have advocated, relate actual using of analgesics of various
kinds, Benadryl… If you are partial, and not allergic to these
compounds; they may grant you some pain relief. Some good numbers to have on hand in addition to
911: National Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222. 911, DAN
+1-919-684-9111
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