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Sydney Scorpionfish
Scorpaenopsis insperatus Motomura, 2004
The 49.8 mm standard length male holotype of Scorpaenopsis insperatus (AMS I.40868-011). View larger image. Photo: Carl Bento.
The 34.8 mm standard length paratype of Scorpaenopsis insperatus. (AMS I.40868-030). View larger image. Photo: Carl Bento.
A line drawing showing the head of the holotype. View larger image. Illustration: Hiroyuki Motomura.
A Red Rockcod at a depth of 10m, Fly Point, Nelson Bay, New South Wales, September 2003. View larger image. Photo: Dave Harasti.
The Sydney Scorpionfish is a small fish that superficially looks similar to the Red Rockcod (see bottom image). Both species have 12 venomous dorsal fin spines and mottled reddish colouration.
It differs from the other species in the genus Scorpaenopsis by the presence of only one spine on the upper operculum and 30 to 34 scale rows along the side of the body.
Only two specimens of the Sydney Scorpionfish are currently known. They are the male holotype and one paratype. Both specimens were collected by M. Lockett, K. Parkinson and J. Pogonoski at a depth of 14 m at Chowder Bay, Sydney Harbour, New South Wales on 24 May 2001. The species was described by Dr Hiroyuki Motomura, who was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Australian Museum, 2003-2005.
Chowder Bay is located close to the northern entrance to Sydney Harbour. The Royal Australian Navy restricts access to the area, and fishing, diving and swimming are prohibited. The fish were collected as part of a survey of exotic marine species in Sydney Harbour that was commissioned by the Sydney Ports Corporation. Museum staff and helpers sampled 57 sites, including the Chowder Bay location.
The species name insperatus is derived from Latin and means 'unexpected'. It refers to the unexpected discovery of this species in Sydney Harbour, a large waterbody that is surrounded by Australia'a most populated city. Another unexpected aspect of the discovery of this fish was that fishes in the genus Scorpaenopsis are mostly found in tropical and subtropical waters. The Sydney Scorpionfish is found 850 km further south into temperate waters than all other species in the genus.
About 600 species of fishes have been recorded from Sydney Harbour. Eighty two species of fishes were originally described from in and around Sydney. Of these, 49 are still considered valid species, the remainder are treated as junior synonyms. Twenty six of the 49 valid species are endemic to Australian waters. Only a single species, the Sydney Scorpionfish, is currently known only from inside Sydney Harbour.*
Related links
- False Stonefish fact sheet
- View the Scorpionfishes list
References
- Motomura, H. 2004. Scorpaenopsis insperatus: A new species of Scorpionfish from Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia (Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae). Copeia. 2004(3): 546-550.
* Most figures researched and compiled by Hiroyuki Motomura, 2004. Source references were the Catalog of Fishes database and Records of the Australian Museum volume 56(2).
