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| Parascorpaena poseidon Chou & Liao, 2022 Photographed by Yuan-Huan Yu. |
A new species of scorpionfish, Poseidon’s scorpionfish Parascorpaena poseidon, is described on the basis of ten specimens collected from southwestern Taiwanese waters ranging from Penghu to Chufongbi, Pingtung. The morphological and molecular analyses reveal the new species is clearly separated from the two similar species, P. aurita and P. mossambica. Parascorpaena poseidon is distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: three equal-sized suborbital spines without ridge; supraocular tentacle absent or very short; pectoral-fin rays 15–16 (usually 16); pored lateral-line scales 22–26 (usually 22–23); longitudinal scale rows 43–47; pre-dorsal-fin scale rows 2–3 (usually 3); 10–12 scale rows between 6th dorsal-fin spine base and lateral line; 10–12 scale rows between the last dorsalfin spine base and lateral line; total gill rakers 15–16, gill rakers on hypobranchial 2–3; ratio of 11th and 12th dorsal-fin spine 60%–81% (mean 73%); blackish spots randomly distributed on all fins; absence of a distinct black blotch on spinous dorsal fin in male; body size relatively large.
Key words: Cycloid scales, DNA barcoding, Lacrimal spine, Rocky reefs, Supraocular tentacle.
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| Underwater photography of Parascorpaena poseidon sp. nov. (ASIZP0080981, 103.0 mm SL). Taken in a tide pool of Longmen, Penghu at 1 m depth. Photographed by Yuan-Huan Yu. |
Parascorpaena poseidon Chou and Liao sp. nov.
Common name: Poseidon’s scorpionfish
Diagnosis: Parascorpaena poseidon sp. nov. can be distinguished from other congeners by a combination of characters: three equally-sized suborbital spines without ridge (Fig. 4); supraocular tentacle absent or very short; pectoral-fin rays 15–16 (usually 16) (Table 1); pored lateral-line scales 22–26 (usually 22–23); longitudinal scale rows 43–47; pre-dorsal-fin scale rows 2–3 (usually 3); 10–12 scale rows between 6th dorsal-fin spine base and lateral line; 10–12 scale rows between last dorsal-fin spine base and lateral line; total gill rakers 15–16, gill rakers on hypobranchial 2–3; ratio of 11th and 12th dorsal-fin spine 60%–81% (mean 73%) (Fig. 5); blackish spots randomly scattered on all fins (Figs. 1, 2); spinous dorsal fin without a distinct black blotch in male; body size relatively large, largest recorded specimen 127.0 mm SL.
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| Drawing of suborbital spines in lateral view of (A) Parascorpaena poseidon sp. nov. (DOS00182, 108.3 mm SL) and (B) P. mossambica (DOS08024, 83.8 mm). |
Etymology: The new species is named after Poseidon, the Greek god of the Sea. A noun in apposition. In allusion to the three equally-sized suborbital spines without ridge similar to the trident of Poseidon.
Distribution and habitat: The new species is currently known only from southwestern Taiwan ranging from Penghu to Chufongbi, Pingtung. This species mainly inhabits rocky reefs that records in depth of 1 m based on the living individual (Fig. 3).
CONCLUSIONS:
In the present study, a new species of the genus Parascorpaena is described based on morphological and molecular approaches. Parascorpaena poseidon sp. nov. can be distinguished from other congeners by the following characters: three equally-sized suborbital spines without ridge; supraocular tentacle absent or very short; pectoral-fin rays usually 16; longitudinal scale rows 43–47; pre-dorsal-fin scale rows usually 3; 10–12 scale rows between last dorsal-fin spine base and lateral line; blackish spots randomly scattered on all fins; spinous dorsal fin without a distinct black blotch in male; body size relatively large, the largest recorded specimen 127.0 mm SL. This species is currently known from southwestern Taiwan.
Tak-Kei Chou and Te-Yu Liao. 2022. A New Species of Parascorpaena Bleeker, 1876 (Teleostei: Scorpaenidae) from Taiwan. Zoological Studies. 61: 9. DOI: 10.6620/ZS.2022.61-09
zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/61/61-09.pdf
