Scorpaena afuerae
Loreto, Mexico
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Scorpaenidae
Genus: Scorpaena
Species:
S. afuerae
Binomial name
Scorpaena afuerae

Scorpaena afuerae, the Peruvian scorpionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. This species is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Taxonomy

Scorpaena afuerae was first formally described in 1946 by the American ichthyologist Samuel Frederick Hildebrand with the type locality given as Lobos de Afuera Island off Peru.[2] The type locality is reflected in the specific name.[3]

Description

Scorpaena afuerae has a large, spiny head with deep pits in front of and to the rear of the eyes. The suborbital ridge has 3-4 spines. There are teeth in the centre of the roof of the mouth and at its sides. The preoperculum has 5 spines with the uppermost being the largest, with the spine nest to that also being comparatively strong. There is a row of fringed skin flaps along the edge of the preoperculum. There are 3 spines in a row to the rear of the eye and 2 on the upper margin of the operculum. There are skin flaps over the front of the upper jaw but none on the lower jaw or on the body. The dorsal fin has 12 spines and 9-10 soft raysXII while the anal fin has 3 spines and 5 soft rays. The pectoral has 19-21 finrays with the upper rays being branched and the lower rays are unbranched and thickened.[4] This species has a uniform red colouration with indistinct stripes and spots.[5] It has a maximum published length of 38 cm (15 in),[6] although 18 cm (7.1 in) is more typical.[5]

Distribution and habitat

Scorpaena afuerae is found in the eastern Pacific from Chile[1] to Baja California Sur in Mexico and[6] Cocos Island.[4] It is a demersal species of rocky areas and rubble at depths of 35 to 80 m (115 to 262 ft).[1]

Biology

Scorpaena afuerae rests on the bottom during the day but, become active at night when they feed on small crustaceans, octopus and small fish.[6] It is a rare species.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Iwamoto, T.; Eschmeyer, W.; Alvarado, J. (2010). "Scorpaena afuerae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T183614A8144804. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T183614A8144804.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Scorpaena". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  3. ↑ 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 6 February 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Species: Scorpaena afuerae, Peruvian scorpionfish". Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system. Smithsonian Tropical research Institute. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2006). "Scorpaena afuerae" in FishBase. August 2006 version.
  6. 1 2 3 "Peruvian Scorpionfish". Mexican Fish. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
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