Pacific Monkeyfish, Erosa erosa (Langsdorf 1829)
A Pacific Monkeyfish, Erosa erosa, at Lembeh Strait, Manado, Indonesia. Source: Tom Demeyer / Flickr. License: CC by Attribution
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.
Pacific Monkeyfish, Erosa erosa (Langsdorf 1829)
More Info
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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. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin XIV, 9; Anal fin II, 5-6; Pectoral fin 14-16; Pelvic fin I, 4. |
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Fisheries |
Often taken in trawls. |
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Conservation |
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Similar Species |
Differs from the Daruma Stinger, Erosa daruma, in 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. |
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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.
