Spotted Scorpionfish

It has a robust body, with a dorsal fin with 12 spines, nine soft rays, and the pectoral fin with 18–21 fin rays. Venom glands are associated with dorsal fin spines to defend against predators. It has a suborbital crest formed by infraorbital bones two and three, with one or two spines each. Under the eyes, they have fleshy plumes, known as "cirrae", with flaps of skin around the chin and head. They have wide and fan-shaped pectoral fins, the dorsal fin is continuous and notched, while the caudal fin is truncated. The maxilla reaches beyond the eyes and the mouth is terminal. It has a well developed occipital pit. It is the largest scorpion fish in the Atlantic and Caribbean oceans; the largest reported size was 45 centimetres (18 in) long, although on average, this species grows from 18 to 36 centimetres (7.1 to 14.2 in), and can weigh 1.55 kilograms (3.4 lb).

It inhabits the western Atlantic Ocean, from Bermuda to Massachusetts, and from the northern Gulf of Mexico to southern Brazil. It is also found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, around Ascension Island and St. Helena. They inhabit shallow coral reefs and rocky areas, moderately common from 5–55 metres (16–180 ft) deep. It remains motionless, on the lower substrate, waiting for prey to attack.

Like other scorpion fish, these animals do not actively hunt, as they are ambush predators, camouflaging themselves to approach prey. It uses its large mouth as a vacuum and sucks its prey quickly, preys of this species include fishes and crustaceans.

Scorpionfish use a tactic of kinematic timing which is a type of technique used to fixate on prey and their general position based on the hinter's body. Scorpionfish will only attack when a prey's position would be likely to succumb to an attack. In addition to their ambush predation, kinematic timing allows scorpionfish to wait for the best possible prey option.

While the reproduction of these animals is not well known, it is known that they are oviparous, with the female producing transparent or greenish eggs.