It has venomous spines and lives in the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans as well as in the Red Sea.

Scorpaenopsis diabolus was first formally described as Scorpaena diabolus by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier with the type locality given as "Mer du Croisic", a name for the northern Bay of Biscay, this is clearly erroneous, as this species is only found in the Indo-West Pacific.

[5] Scorpaenopsis diabolus has a broad head with a wide mouth, a humped back, and a tapering body, and can reach 30 cm (12 in) in length.

The colouring is a combination of mottled grey and white with reddish-brown blotches and the fish is well-camouflaged among stones and corals.

Its range extends from South and East Africa and the Red Sea to Japan, Hawaii, French Polynesia, Australia, and New Caledonia.