Spotted ghoul

Inimicus sinensis

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth13–71 m
Water temperature15–29 °C
Best monthsOctober
How commonRare

About this species

Inimicus sinensis, also known as the spotted ghoul, Chinese stinger, spotted stingerfish, or spotted stonefish, 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. sinensis 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 sinensis”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 7 records
February: 11 records
March: 1 records
April: 7 records
May: 17 records
June: 22 records
July: 9 records
August: 16 records
September: 25 records
October: 42 records
November: 15 records
December: 11 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 13–71 m · Deepest record: 104.5 m

0–10 m: 7 records
10–20 m: 19 records
20–30 m: 20 records
30–40 m: 28 records
40–50 m: 19 records
50–60 m: 11 records
60–70 m: 7 records
70–80 m: 6 records
80–90 m: 6 records
90–100 m: 2 records
100–110 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 15–29 °C

14–16 °C: 2 records
16–18 °C: 0 records
18–20 °C: 0 records
20–22 °C: 0 records
22–24 °C: 37 records
24–26 °C: 15 records
26–28 °C: 123 records
28–30 °C: 39 records

Names and classification

English: Spotted ghoul, Spotted Stinger, Spotted Stingerfish, Spotted Stonefish

Names in 1 more languages

Simplified Chinese: 中華鬼鮋, 石狗公, 石頭魚, 虎魚, 貓魚, 鬼虎魚, 魚虎

Other scientific names: Pelor sinense, Pelor sinensis

Similar species

Inimicus cuvieri
Bearded Ghoul
Inimicus didactylus

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).
317 open-data records from 1947 to 2021.

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