The western scorpionfish (Scorpaena onaria), also known as the neglected scorpionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean.[3]
| Western scorpionfish | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Scorpaenidae |
| Genus: | Scorpaena |
| Species: | S. onaria
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| Binomial name | |
| Scorpaena onaria | |
Taxonomy
editThe Western scorpionfish was first formally described in 1900 by the American ichthyologists David Starr Jordan and John Otterbein Snyder with the type locality given as Misaki, Japan.[4] The specific name onaria is a latinisation of a Japanese name onari, which means “an Emperor’s journey; a fish tabu, or set aside, for the Emperor”, Jordan and Snyder did not explain why they gave this epithet to this species.[5]
Description
editThe Western scorpionfish has 12 sp[ines and 9 soft rays in its dorsal fin with 3 spines and 5 soft rays in its anal fin. The pectoral fins have 16 or 17 fin rays with the highest ray and 9 lowest rays being simple, the remaining 6 rays are branched. It has a body which show moderate com[pression towards the head and gets more compressed towards the tail. The nape and front part of the nody are slightly arched and the body has a depth which is less than the length of the head. There are many small papillae on the head, particularly on the upper head and snout, the head also has many tentacles with a long tentacle on the rear end of the base of the supraocular spine and more tentacles on the orbit. A few small tentacles along the lateral line are the only tentacles on the flanks. It has a large oblique mouth with teeth in the jaws and on the vomer and palatine bone.[6] This species attains a maximum total length of 37.5 cm (14.8 in) and a maximum published weight of 900 g (32 oz).[3] In fresh specimens the colour is variegated, mainly red or reddish yellow, with blotched irregular reddish ,yellowish and whitish patches.[7]
Distribution and habitat
editThe Western scorpionfish is found in the Indo-West Pacific region. It was thought to be restricted to the northwestern Pacific around Japan, Korea and Taiwan but has since been found to occur in the Andaman Sea, Indonesia, north western and eastern Australia, northern New Zealand, the Kermadec Islands and New Caledonia.[6] This demersal fish[3] is found on rocky reefs at depths between 95 and 500 m (312 and 1,640 ft).[1]
Biology
editThe Western scorpionfish is sexually dimorphic, only the males have a black blotch on the spiny part of the dorsal fin.[1] It is an ambush predator feeding on small fish and crustaceans. It is an oviparous species. There are venom glands at the base of the dorsal fin spines.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c Motomura, H.; Matsuura, K. (2016). "Scorpaena onaria". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T79800168A79800171. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T79800168A79800171.en. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ A list of fishes collected in Japan by Keinosuke Otaki, and by the United States steamer Albatross, with descriptions of fourteen new species. Proc. U.S. Natl. Mus. v. 23 (núm. 1213): 335–380, Pls. 9–20.
- ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Scorpaena onaria". FishBase. August 2021 version.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Scorpaena". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (2 October 2021). "Order Perciformes (Part 9): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Family Scorpaenidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ a b Hiroyuki Motomura and Teguh Peristiwady (2010). "Scorpaena onaria (Scorpaenidae), Previously Considered to Have an Antitropical Distribution, Found in Northern Sulawesi, Indonesia, Western Central Pacific Ocean" (PDF). Biogeography. 12: 127–131.
- ^ Hiroyuki Motomura; Chris Paulin; Andrew L. Stewart (2005). "First records of Scorpaena onaria (Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae) from the southwestern Pacific Ocean, and comparisons with the Northern Hemisphere population". New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. 39 (4): 865–880. doi:10.1080/00288330.2005.9517358.
- ^ "Scorpaena onaria". Taiwan Fish Database. Retrieved 13 February 2022.