Mozambique Scorpionfish, Parascorpaena mossambica (Peters 1855)


Other Names: Golden Scorpionfish

A scorpionfish, Parascorpaena mossambica, at Komodo, Indonesia, August 2008. Source: @perigor2000 / www.whatsthatfish.com/fish/mozambique-scorpionfish/1988. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:
A mottled reddish to brownish scorpionfish with well-developed tentacles above the eyes.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2022, Parascorpaena mossambica in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3135

Mozambique Scorpionfish, Parascorpaena mossambica (Peters 1855)

More Info


Distribution

Recorded in the Australian EEZ from Shark Bay and offshore reefs of north Western Australia, Ashmore Reef , Timor Sea, and the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland and reefs in the Coral Sea, to Sydney, New South Wales; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands and the Lord Howe Province in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical east-Indo-west-central Pacific.
A nocturnal species, usually found in mixed sandy/rubble habitats on reef flats, in shallow lagoons, and reef channels.

Features

Dorsal fin XII, 9-10; Anal fin III, 5; Pectoral fin 15-17; Pelvic fin I, 5. 
Supraocular tentacles well developed.

Remarks

Motomura et al. (2011) suggested that Australian records of this species may actually be Parascorpaena armata (Sauvage, 1873).

Etymology

The species is named for the type locality, Mozambique.

Species Citation

Scorpaena mossambica Peters, W.C.H. 1855, Monatsberichte der Königlichen Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1855: 434. Type locality: Ibo, Mozambique.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2022

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Mozambique Scorpionfish, Parascorpaena mossambica (Peters 1855)

References


Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.

Allen, G.R. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1994. Fishes of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 412: 1-21.

Fricke, R., Kulbicki, M. & Wantiez, L. 2011. Checklist of the fishes of New Caledonia, and their distribution in the Southwest Pacific Ocean (Pisces). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde. Serie A (Biologie) Neue Serie 4: 341-463. 

Kuiter, R.H. & Tonozuka, T. 2001. Pictorial guide to Indonesian reef fishes. Part 1. Eels- Snappers, Muraenidae - Lutjanidae. Australia : Zoonetics pp. 1-302. 

Motomura, H., Béarez, P. & Causse, R. 2011. Review of Indo-Pacific specimens of the subfamily Scorpaeninae (Scorpaenidae), deposited in the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, with description of a new species of Neomerinthe. Cybium 33(1): 55-73.

Motomura, H. & Matsuura, K. 2016. Parascorpaena mossambica. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T69798315A69800972. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T69798315A69800972.en. Downloaded on 25 July 2018.

Peters, W.C.H. 1855. Übersicht der in Mossambique beobachteten Seefische. Monatsberichte der Königlichen Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1855: 428-466 

Peters, W.C.H. 1855. Übersicht der in Mossambique beobachteten Fische. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 21(2-3): 234-282

Poss, S.G. 1999. Families Scorpaenidae, Caracanthidae, Aploactinidae. pp. 2291-2358 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds) The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790.  

Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp. 

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs. 

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs. 

Smith, W.L. & Wheeler, W.C. 2006. Venom evolution widespread in fishes: a phylogenetic road map for the bioprospecting of piscine venoms. Journal of Heredity 97(3): 206-217. 

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37287062

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Danger:Venomous spines

Depth:1-20 m

Fishing:Aquarium fish

Max Size:12 cm TL

Max Size:Reef associated

Species Image Gallery

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map