Rhinopias (assorted)

Rhinopias is a genus of scorpionfishes (family Scorpaenidae), not a single species. The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) lists Rhinopias Gill, 1905 as an accepted genus with six accepted species: R. aphanes, R. argoliba, R. cea, R. eschmeyeri, R. frondosa and R. xenops. Wikipedia gives the same six and notes some doubt over whether R. eschmeyeri is a synonym of R. frondosa, the weedy scorpionfish, which has its own entry. This group entry covers sightings where the species was not recorded.

Wikipedia says adults have a highly compressed, very deep head and body covered in small scales, 12 spines in the dorsal fin and 3 in the anal fin, and thickened lower pectoral rays. It gives maximum recorded total lengths from 15.3 cm in R. xenops to 25 cm in R. aphanes.

A conservation status is not given here, because this entry covers a whole genus.

Wikipedia says the genus is found in the Indian and Pacific oceans, from the coast of eastern Africa to Hawaii and Easter Island. It describes them as demersal fish of soft substrate and strong currents, from shallow water down to around 300 m.

Where Divers Find Them

At Melasti in the Amed area of Bali, Amed Jepun Divers says "From Rhinopias to frogfish or ghost pipe fish the variety here is astounding." It does not say which species, or how often they are seen.

Wikipedia describes Rhinopias as ambush predators that rest on the bottom waiting for crustaceans and smaller fishes to come within striking range. It says they frequently shed the outer layer of their skin, because they are so sedentary that parasites and algae quickly gather on it, and that they command a high price in the aquarium trade.

Underwater Encounter Behavior

The sources cited here do not describe how Rhinopias react to divers. Wikipedia says they have venom in their fin spines.