Filamentous scorpionfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Scorpaenidae
Subfamily: Scorpaeninae
Tribe: Scorpaenini
Genus: Hipposcorpaena
Fowler, 1938
Species:
H. filamentosus
Binomial name
Hipposcorpaena filamentosus
Fowler, 1938
Synonyms[1]
  • Hipposcorpaena filamentosa Fowler, 1938
  • Rhinopias filamentosus (Fowler, 1938)

The filamentous scorpionfish (Hipposcorpaena filamentosus) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the Indo-West Pacific. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Hipposcorpaena.

Taxonomy

The filamentous scorpionfish was first formally described in 1938 by the American zoologist Henry Weed Fowler with the type locality given as off Linao Point in Davao Gulf in the Philippines.[2] It is the only species in the monospecific genus Hipposcorpaena.[3] The genus name is the word hippo, which means "horse", used as a prefix of Scorpaena, the type genus of the family Scorpaenidae, this is thought to be an allusion tp the sloping profile of the head, like that of a horse. The specific name filamentosus means "filamented" and likely alludes to the thin flaps on the head and body.[4]

Description

The filamentous scorpionfish has a strongly compressed body[5] with large head a which has a concave upper edge to its snout. The body has a depth which would fit into its standard length 2.5 to 2.8 times. There are 11-12 spines and 9-10 soft rays in the dorsal fin and 2 spines and 6 soft rays in the anal fin. There are 14 rays in the pectoral fin and there are deep incisions in the membranes between the lower 7 rays which are equal to one-third to one-half the length of each ray, creating filament-like structures. There are flaps of skin on the snout, chin, lower cheek, margin of the preoperculum and above the eye.[1] The overall colour is reddish with a whitish snout, 2 wide pale bands on the body and a white band on the posterior of the spiny part of the dorsal fin.[5] This is a small species of scorpionfish with a maximum standard length of 3.5 cm (1.4 in).[1]

Distribution and habitat

The filamentous scorpionfish is found in the Indo-West Pacific region and has been recorded from Bali, Sulawesi, the Timor Sea, Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Japan.[6] In Australian waters it has only been recorded from the Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea.[5] It is a demersal fish which is found at depths between 10 and 95 m (33 and 312 ft) on silty inshore reefs.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2021). "Hipposcorpaena filamentosus" in FishBase. August 2021 version.
  2. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Hipposcorpaena". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  3. ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2021). Species of Hipposcorpaena in FishBase. August 2021 version.
  4. ↑ 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 9 January 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Bray, D.J. (2017). "Hipposcorpaena filamentosa". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  6. ↑ "Hipposcorpaena filamentosus Filamentous scorpionfish". reeflex.net. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
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