So. Cal. fish ID help, please

[OCdiving Deb]

Anyone care to guess which one this is?

John,

I vote for Woolly Sculpin (Clinocottus analis). I noticed it while I was researching the Cabezon!

Don't take it as fact because I needed to rush so I can get to my dive club meeting!

 

[MarkH]

I think I know - I believe it to be a cabazon. I get them confused with sculpins QUOTE]
The picture that started this thread looks like a cabezon or something dressed up like one. The colour can be anything from a mottled brown to green to orange to.... By the way, cabezons are sculpins. Up here in B.C., they are the largest kind of sculpin (maybe they are the largest sculpin anywhere). Just to confuse things, up here, scorpion fish are what we call rockfish (copper, quillback, red "snapper", etc.). They are related to the tropical scorpion fish (which look like sculpins) and are slightly venomous as well.

 

[drbill]

Looks to me to be a cabezon. They are uncommon, but not unusual to encounter during the winter and spring in the dive park. Check my colun on the cabezon at this link:
http://www.starthrower.org/products/DDDB/DDDB_000-049/DDDB_031 cabezon.htm


Dr. Bill

 

[kelpmermaid]

From fishbase.org - English, cirri, Hair-like structures in animals
and plants; small, slender, flexible fleshy protuberances; the singular is cirrus.

You knew it Kelpmermaid... You even used the word protuberances!

I think I have attended one too many fish ID lectures, LOL! Rockfish make me nuts.

 

[John H. Moore]

jlyle got it right, first one is a cabezon, second is a California scorpionfish...

Cabezon: http://divebums.com/FishID/Pages/cabezon.html

Cal Scorpionfish: http://divebums.com/FishID/Pages/scorpionfish.html