| Family | Scientific Name | Author | Year | Common Name |
| Scorpaenidae | Pontinus rathbuni | Goode & Bean | 1896 | Highfin Scorpionfish |
All Pontinus Species: Dorsal-fin spines almost always 12. Palatine teeth present. First preopercular spine longest, not counting accessory spine at base of first spine. Soft dorsal fin rays 10 1/2 or fewer (usually 8 1/2 or 9 1/2). Lateral line complete, extending to caudal fin. Pigment on caudal peduncle not strongly spotted. Scales on body ctenoid (rough to touch). Pectoral fin more or less wedge-shaped, longest rays at about middle of fin; pectoral-fin rays usually 19 or fewer, rarely 20. All pectoral-fin rays unbranched (FAO 2002).
Pontinus rathbuni
Unique Characters: Pectoral-fin rays 15 to 18. Snout relatively short, roughly equal to diameter of orbit. Pectoral-fin rays 17 or 18, rarely 16; hypohyals without long descending process. Third dorsal-fin spine not notably elongate; first (anterior) preorbital spine on ventral margin of lacrimal bone points back as well as down (FAO 2002).
Similar Species:
Pontinus longispinis, Longspine Scorpionfish
Longspine Scorpionfish, Pontinus longispinis.Pectoral-fin rays 15 to 18. Snout relatively short, roughly equal to diameter of orbit. Pectoral-fin rays 17 or 18, rarely 16; hypohyals without long descending process. Third dorsal-fin spine notably elongate in specimens larger than about 120-130 mm standard length; first (anterior) preorbital spine on ventral margin of lacrimal bone points forward as well as down (FAO 2002).
Reference:
Goode, G.B. and T.H. Bean. 1896. Oceanic ichthyology. A treatise on the deep-sea and pelagic fishes of the world, based chiefly upon the collections made by the Steamers Blake, Albatross, and Fish Hawk in the northwestern Atlantic, with an atlas containing 417 figures. Special Bulletin. Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Washington, DC. 927 pp.