Pacific Monkeyfish, Erosa erosa (Langsdorf 1829)


Other Names: Daruma Stinger, Monkeyfish, Monkey-fish, Pitted Scorpionfish, Pitted Stonefish

A Pacific Monkeyfish, Erosa erosa, at Lembeh Strait, Manado, Indonesia. Source: Tom Demeyer / Flickr. License: CC by Attribution

Summary:

A variably-coloured scorpionfish relative ranging from reddish to orange or brown with white mottling, and dark crossbands and/or rows of irregular white spots on the pectoral, pelvic, anal and caudal fins.

The Pacific Monkeyfish has a large rounded head, with a bony hump over the eyes followed by a deep pit on the back of the head, and a very short snout that is almost vertical in profile.


Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2022, Erosa erosa in Fishes of Australia, accessed 19 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3214

Pacific Monkeyfish, Erosa erosa (Langsdorf 1829)

More Info


Distribution

Off Shark Bay, Western Australia, to off the Clarence River, New South Wales. Elsewhere the species occurs in the east-Indo-west-Pacific.

Although the Pacific Monkeyfish is occasionally seen near shallow reefs, it usually inhabits deeper waters.

Features

Dorsal fin XIV, 9; Anal fin II, 5-6; Pectoral fin 14-16; Pelvic fin I, 4.

Fisheries

Often taken in trawls.

Conservation


Similar Species

Differs from the Daruma Stinger, Erosa darumain having a hump over the eyes followed by a pit before the dorsal fin, and large white spots on the outer pectoral fin and fine vertical lines on the tail, vs a rounded head profile and a  broad white bar on the pectoral and caudal fins in the Daruma Stinger.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2022

Pacific Monkeyfish, Erosa erosa (Langsdorf 1829)

References


Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.

Allen, G.R., Hoese, D.F., Cross, N.J. & Bray, D.J. 2006. Synanceiidae. pp. 903-906 in Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35 Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp.

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

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.

Eschmeyer, W.N. & Rama-Rao, K.V. 1973. Two new stonefishes (Pisces : Scorpaenidae) from the Indo-west Pacific, with a synopsis of the subfamily Synanceiinae. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 39(18): 337-382 figs 1-13.

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.

Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Queensland Government, Co-ordinator General’s Department 640 pp.

Johnson, J.W. 1999. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 43(2): 709-762.

Langsdorf, G.I. in Cuvier, G.L. & Valenciennes, A. 1829. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : Levrault Vol. 4 518 pp. pls 72-99.

Ogilby, J.D. 1910. On new or insufficiently described fishes. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 23(1): 1-55.

Ogilby, J.D. 1910. On some new fishes from the Queensland coast. Endeavour Series No. 1 23: 85-139.

Paxton, J.R., Hoese, D.F., Allen, G.R. & Hanley, J.E. (eds) 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Pisces: Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 7 665 pp.

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 2069-2790pp.

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.

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1985. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37287022

Danger:Venomous spines

Depth:10-175 m

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:15 cm TL

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Species Maps

CAAB distribution map