Two-stick stingfish
Inimicus filamentosus
- Usual depth26–53 m
- Water temperature24–29 °C
- Best monthsMarch, April, and July
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) prilfish, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Inimicus filamentosus, also known as the filament-finned stinger, barred ghoul, two-stick stingfish, or devil scorpionfish, is a member of the Inimicus genus of venomous fishes. It is a member of the Synanceiidae family of the Scorpaeniformes order of ray-finned fishes. These benthic fishes are found on sandy or silty substrates of lagoon and seaward reefs, in coastal regions of tropical oceans. Like all the other known species of Inimicus, I. filamentosus is a demersal ambush predator. They are nocturnal, and often dig themselves partially into the sandy seabed during the day.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Inimicus filamentosus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 7 records
- February: 4 records
- March: 11 records
- April: 10 records
- May: 8 records
- June: 4 records
- July: 13 records
- August: 8 records
- September: 10 records
- October: 6 records
- November: 10 records
- December: 8 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 26–53 m · Deepest record: 52.5 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 24–29 °C
Photos
(c) Kai Squires, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Tom Heijnen, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Tom Heijnen, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist 
(c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) Pauline Walsh Jacobson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Two-stick stingfish, Barred ghoul, Filament-finned stinger, two-stick stingfish
Names in 4 more languages
- German
- Indischer Walkman
- Spanish
- Pez piedra muletero
- French
- Marcheur de mer Rouge, Poisson pierre béquillard, Poisson pierre béquillard, Rascasse à filaments, Rascasse à filaments
- Simplified Chinese
- 絲狀鬼鮋
Other scientific names: Inimicus dactylus, Pelor didactylum, Pelor filamentosum, Pelor filamentosus
Similar species
- Bearded Ghoul
Inimicus caledonicus
Bearded GhoulInimicus didactylus
Spotted ghoulInimicus sinensis
- devil stinger
Inimicus japonicus
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 45 open-data records from 1829 to 2008.
- Species data updated November 3, 2026.
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