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Cheekspot Scorpionfish
Scorpaenodes littoralis (Tanaka, 1917)
A Cheekspot Scorpionfish at a depth of 15 m, North West Solitary Island, New South Wales, July 2006. Photo © I. Shaw. View larger image.
A Cheekspot Scorpionfish at a depth of 14 m, Fly Point Marine Reserve, Port Stephens, New South Wales, December 2005. Photo © D. & L. Atkinson. View larger image.
A Cheekspot Scorpionfish at a depth of 10 m, Fly Point, Port Stephens, New South Wales, December 2003. Photo © D. Harasti. View larger image.
The Cheekspot Scorpionfish can be distinguished from other Australian east coast scorpionfishes by the dark blotch on the operculum and the red-spotted fins. It has small ctenoid scales and thirteen venomous dorsal fin spines. There are small leaf-like appendages on the head and mouth. Its colouration is variable from brown to pink or red.
It grows to 10cm in length.
The Cheekspot Scorpionfish is a benthic species that occurs primarily in shallow tropical marine waters of the Indo-West and Central Pacific.
It is commonly observed upside down on the roofs of caves.
In Australia it is known from the central coast of Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country and south to the southern coast of New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
In many publications, the Cheekspot Scorpionfish has been recorded as the Pygmy Scorpionfish, Scorpaenodes scaber. The two species look very similar, but the Pygmy Scorpionfish lacks a dark spot on the operculum. It occurs from the central coast of Queensland to the southern coast of New South Wales.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292. (as S. scaber)
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180. (as S. scaber)
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437. (as S. scaber)
- Poss, S.G. Scorpaenidae in Carpenter, K.E. & V.H. Niem. 1999. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 4. Bony fishes part 2 (Mugilidae to Carangidae). FAO. Rome Pp. iii-v, 2069-2790.
