1a. Dorsal-fin spines usually 12; vertebrae 25; swimbladder absent ........................ subgenus Trachyscorpia 2
1b. Dorsal-fin spines usually 13; vertebrae 26; swimbladder present .......................... subgenus Mesoscorpia 3
2a. Distributed in western Atlantic Ocean ................................... T. (T.) cristulata cristulata (Goode & Bean) A
2b. Distributed in eastern Atlantic Ocean ................................................ T. (T.) cristulata echinata (Koehler) A
3a. Tympanic spines usually absent (at least one side of head); upper-jaw lip poorly developed, premaxillary teeth exposed laterally; scales on lateral surface of maxilla; no blackish saddles on body in preserved specimens; body depth relatively shallow (32-35% of SL); orbit diameter relatively small (12-14% of SL); head profile concave or straight, and eyes oriented dorsolaterally ....................................................... ................................. T. (M.) eschmeyeri Whitley B (southeastern Atlantic and southern Indo -West Pacific)
3b. Tympanic spines always present; upper-jaw lip well developed, covering premaxillary tooth band laterally; no scales on lateral surface of maxilla; 4 blackish saddles on body in preserved specimens; body depth relatively deep (34-42% of SL); orbit diameter relatively large (14-18% of SL); head profile convex, and eyes oriented almost laterally ........................................................................................................ 4
4a. Scale rows in longitudinal series 57-63; second pelvic-fin soft ray relatively short (18-25% SL, mean 20%), shorter than upper-jaw length; first anal-fin spine relatively short (5-8% of SL, mean 6%); pelvicfin spine relatively short (9-16% of SL, mean 13%) ................ T. (M.) carnomagulasp. nov. (Australasia)
4b. Scale rows in longitudinal series 50-53; second pelvic-fin soft ray relatively long (23-29% SL, mean 26%), longer than upper-jaw length; first anal-fin spine relatively long (8-9% of SL, mean 9%); pelvic-fin spine relatively long (15-17% of SL, mean 16%)......................................................................................... ........................................................................ T. (M.) longipediculasp. nov. (southwestern Indian Ocean)
A Eschmeyer (1969) recognized the two allopatric subspecies in the subgenus Trachyscorpia . However, diagnostic characters separating the two remain unclear (see Discussion).
B T. (M.) eschmeyeri has previously been recognized as T. (M.) capensis .
Species of the scorpionfish genus Trachyscorpia are deepwater, bottom dwelling, relatively large fishes, attaining at least 35 cm standard length. The genus was originally proposed for Scorpaena cristulata Goode & Bean, 1896 by Ginsburg (1953) who simultaneously included Scorpaena echinata Koehler, 1896 in the genus. Subsequently, Eschmeyer (1969) added Scorpaena capensis Gilchrist & von Bonde, 1924 to Trachyscorpia . Eschmeyer (1969) tentatively regarded T. cristulata and T. echinata as the subspecies, T. cristulata cristulata and T. c. echinata . He also separated the species of Trachyscorpia into two subgenera, Trachyscorpia (type species: T. cristulata ) and Mesoscorpia ( T. capensis ), the latter being his new subgenus.
The genus Trachyscorpia is characterized by the following combination of characters: occiput flat, lacking pit; first preopercular spine largest; head bones strongly ossified; suborbital ridge well developed, with usually 5 or more spines; palatine teeth present; dorsal-fin spines 12 or 13; vertebrae 25 or 26; pectoral-fin margin bilobed; lateral line complete, extending onto caudal-fin base; and scales on the body ctenoid (Eschmeyer, 1969; this study).
Trachyscorpia capensis was described as a new species of Scorpaena from the west coast of South Africa from three specimens (whereabouts of the syntypes currently unknown; e.g., Eschmeyer, 1998). Although the name T. capensis has been used in many publications since Eschmeyer (1969) (e.g., Eschmeyer, 1986; Ishida, 1990; Pakhorukov, 2001), T. capensis is permanently invalid because it was preoccupied by Scorpaena capensis Gmelin, 1789 , which is currently recognized as Sebastes capensis . Whitley (1970) proposed a replacement name, T. eschmeyeri , for Gilchrist and von Bonde’s Scorpaena capensis .
The species of Trachyscorpia from Australasian waters (mostly reported as T. capensis ) has been recognized as containing two sympatric morphotypes by several ichthyologists for a long time (e.g., Daley et al, 1997; A. Stewart and C. Paulin, pers. comm., 2004). Our further examinations of specimens from the region showed that the two morphotypes represent T. (M.) eschmeyeri and a distinct new species of Trachyscorpia (Mesoscorpia) . In addition, during examination of the Australasian specimens, another new species was found at the Australian National Fish Collection (CSIRO). This new species was collected from the South-West Indian Ridge, southwestern Indian Ocean (ca. 1,700 km south of the southern tip of Madagascar), and resembles the Australasian new species rather than T. (M.) eschmeyeri . The two new species are herein described in detail, along with a redefinition of the subgenus Mesoscorpia .
Trachyscorpia is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. The species in this genus are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.
Trachyscorpia was first described as a genus by the Lithuanian-born American ichthyologist Isaac Ginsburg in 1953 with Scorpaena cristulata, a species described by the American ichthyologists George Brown Goode and Tarleton Hoffman Bean in 1896 from off Georgia, designated as its type species.[1][2] The generic name, Trachyscorpia is a compound of trachys, meaning "coarse" or "rough", and scorpia, which means “scorpion”, the first part is a reference to the ctenoid scales of the type species and the second is derived from Scorpaena the original genus of T. cristulata.[3]
There are currently seven recognised species in this genus:[4]
Trachyscorpia is characterised by having a large head, which is almost half the length of the body, with a short snout and robust bones with strong spines. They do not have a pit located to the rear of their eyes. The eyes are quite large and have a horizontal ridge running beneath them which is armed with spines. The preoperculum has 4-5 spines, with the 1st spine being longer than the others and this spine has a main spine and a supplementary spine. There are 13 spines and netween 8 and 10 soft rays in the dorsal fin while the anal fin has 3 spines and 5 soft rays, The pectoral fin is not wedge shaped and is bilobed with longest rays at top, there are 21-24 pectoral fin rays and the upper rays are branched. In larger fish the lower pectoral fin rays are fleshy, Thera are rough scales on cheek, in the intraorbital space and behind the eyes while the lateral line is complete, it reaches the base of the caudal fin, and has tubed scales.[5] These species have maximum lengths which vary from 14.7 cm (5.8 in) standard length in T. osheri up to a total length 56.9 cm (22.4 in) in T. echinata.[4]
Trachyscorpia thornyheads are found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are demersal fish which are usually found at depths greater than 100 m (330 ft).[4]
Trachyscorpia thornyheads are thought to be oviparous and, like other taxa in the tribe Sebastolobini, the females likely extrude internally fertilised eggs in gelatinous masses which float. They have venomous spines. They are predatory fishes feeding on benthic invertebrates and on other fishes.[6]
Trachyscorpia is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. The species in this genus are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.
