- Classification
- ACTINOPTERYGII
- SCORPAENIFORMES
- TETRAROGIDAE
- Ocosia
- dorsomaculata
Blotch-finned Waspfish, Ocosia dorsomaculata Chungthanawong & Motomura 2022

Illustration of a Stoutspine Waspfish, Ocosia apia, from Raoul Island, Kermadec Islands, NMNZ P. 7476. Source: after Paulin (1982) N. Z. J. Zool. 9: Fig. 11. License: All rights reserved
Summary:
A pale waspfish with 11-15 pale brown to dark brown bars along the lateral line from behind the gill cover to the caudal-fin base, one to two irregular pale brown to dark brown blotches on the dorsal-fin membrane between the fifth and ninth spines.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2022, Ocosia dorsomaculata in Fishes of Australia, accessed 09 Feb 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/5138
Blotch-finned Waspfish, Ocosia dorsomaculata Chungthanawong & Motomura 2022
More Info
Distribution |
E of Flinders Reefs to off Coolangatta, Queensland. Elsewhere the species occurs in New Caledonia. |
Features |
Dorsal fin XV-XVII, 7-9; Anal fin III, 5-7; Pectoral fin 12-14; Lateral-line pores 15-20; Gill rakers (total) 9-14; no papillae on the upper and lower lips; presence of supraocular spine, a small lateral lacrimal spine (sometimes absent in specimens larger than 8.78 cm SL) and suborbital spine (sometimes absent in specimens larger than 9.38 cm SL); second dorsal-fin spine length 26.5-42.8% (mean 33.9%) of SL; third dorsal-fin spine shorter or subequal to second spine, its length 74.8-97.9% (83.8%) of D2L; membrane of spinous portion of dorsal fin incised. |
Similar Species |
Differs from other species in the genus Ocosia in having the second dorsal-fin spine noticeably elongate relative to the succeeding spines, and a small spine on the lateral face of the lachrymal bone; and in lacking either large spots on the body or stubby papillae on the upper jaw. |
Etymology |
The species is named dorsomaculata for the blotch(es) on the spinous portion of the dorsal fin. |
Species Citation |
Ocosia dorsomaculata Chungthanawong & Motomura 2022, Zootaxa 5091(3):430, Figs. 1A-C. Type locality: Chesterfield Island, New Caledonia, 22°16'58.8"S, 159°25'01.2"E, depth 315-320 m. |
Author |
Bray, D.J. 2022 |
Resources |
Blotch-finned Waspfish, Ocosia dorsomaculata Chungthanawong & Motomura 2022
References
Last, P.R., Pogonoski, J.J., Gledhill, D.C., et al. 2014. The deepwater demersal ichthyofauna of the western Coral Sea. Zootaxa 3887(2): 191–224 (as Ocosia cf. apia)
Chungthanawong, S. & Motomura, H. 2022. A new species of the waspfish genus Ocosia (Teleostei: Tetrarogidae) from the Coral Sea, with a key to species in the genus. Zootaxa 5091(3): 37-50. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5091.3.3