NEOCHIRUS BRACHYPTERA - (CUVIER, 1829)
Picture courtesy of: Alain Daoulas
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Perciformes (Order) > Scorpaenoidei (Suborder) > Scorpaenidae (Family) > Pteroinae (Subfamily) > Neochirus (Genus)
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Perciformes (Order) > Scorpaenoidei (Suborder) > Scorpaenidae (Family) > Pteroinae (Subfamily) > Neochirus (Genus)
Ptéroïs à ailes courtes, Ptéroïs nain, Rascasse volante dindon, Dwarf lionfish, Featherfish, Pigmy lionfish, Short-spined butterfly-cod, Short-spined scorpionfish, Shortfin firefish, Shortfin lionfish, Shortfin turkeyfish, Shortspined butterfly-cod, Kortvin-kalkoenvis, Dværgdragefisk, Zwerg-Feuerfisch, Pesce leone a pinne corte, Pez león de aletas cortas, Shimahime-yamanokami, シマヒメヤマノカミ, ചവരാലി, 短鳍蓑鲉,
Synonymes
Dendrochirus brachypterus (Cuvier, 1829)
Pterois brachyptera (Cuvier, 1829)
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Description
Dorsal spines (total): 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 5-6; Pectoral fin rays: 16-19 (usually: 17); Scale rows in longitudinal series: 39-50 (usually: 44); Scale rows above lateral line: 5-7 (usually: 6); Scale rows below lateral line: 8-13 (usually: 11); Scale rows between last dorsal fin spine base and lateral line: 5-7 (Usually: 6); Scale rows between sixth dorsal fin spine base and lateral line: 5-7 (usually: 6); Total gill rakers: 13-19 (usually: 15); Uppermost preopercular spine surface without row of supplemental spines; Frontal border of occipital area moderately elevated, border between interorbital canal and occipital area disjunct; A skin flap present on uppermost preopercular spine base, and another usually present on upper portion of orbit; Two barbels on snout tip; Posterior contour of pectoral fin rounded, without notch or only weakly notched; Interorbital width at midorbit: 4.5-8.9 (mean 6.8) % of SL and at preocular spine base: 3.5-7.8 (5.7) % of SL; Last (13th) dorsal fin spine length: 13.3-21.3 (usually: 17.2) % of SL; Pelvic fin spine length: 15.1-25.0 (20.2) % of SL. Max. length: 15.0 cm TL. Depth range: 0 - 80 m.
Color
Head and body reddish, although greatly variable. Three poorly defined dark bands below eye; Anteriormost band on sides of snout from anteroventral margin of orbit to upper jaw; Middle band crossing eye vertically and reaching ventral margin of preopercle; Posteriormost band crossing eye obliquely, from supraocular tentacle base to interopercle. Broad dark band saddling nape over parietal-nuchal ridges. Six poorly defined dark bands on sides of body; Anterior 5 bands below dorsal fin base, extending onto dorsal fin membrane dorsally, and reaching abdomen or extending onto anal fin membrane ventrally; Posteriormost band on caudal peduncle. Both jaws and gill membrane strongly mottled in large specimens. Eye reddish or yellowish with reddish radial markings. Spinous portion of dorsal fin reddish; Spines with 3-6 irregular dark bands. Membranes of soft-rayed portion of dorsal fin pale red or semi-translucent, rays reddish, with numerous (ca. 30-80) black spots on rays, sometimes forming broken lines. Anal fin membranes semi-translucent, reddish basally, soft-rayed portion with numerous (ca. 20-40) small black spots on rays, spots conjoint and forming narrow dark lines basally. Dark spots on soft-rayed portions of dorsal and anal fins tending to increase in number with growth. Pectoral fin reddish, with 3-13 transverse dark bands, number of bands tending to increase with growth; Each band usually with inner row of poorly defined black spots but sometimes obscured or absent. Pelvic fin reddish with 3-7 dark bands. Caudal fin membrane semi-transparent, rays reddish, with numerous (ca. 30-60) small black spots on rays; Number of spots tending to increase with growth.
Etymology
Neochirus: from Greek, neo = new + from Greek, kheir or cheı́r = finger, hand. Referring to its large tree-like pectoral fins (hands) and a reference to the split from Dendrochirus.
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Description
Dorsal spines (total): 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 5-6; Pectoral fin rays: 16-19 (usually: 17); Scale rows in longitudinal series: 39-50 (usually: 44); Scale rows above lateral line: 5-7 (usually: 6); Scale rows below lateral line: 8-13 (usually: 11); Scale rows between last dorsal fin spine base and lateral line: 5-7 (Usually: 6); Scale rows between sixth dorsal fin spine base and lateral line: 5-7 (usually: 6); Total gill rakers: 13-19 (usually: 15); Uppermost preopercular spine surface without row of supplemental spines; Frontal border of occipital area moderately elevated, border between interorbital canal and occipital area disjunct; A skin flap present on uppermost preopercular spine base, and another usually present on upper portion of orbit; Two barbels on snout tip; Posterior contour of pectoral fin rounded, without notch or only weakly notched; Interorbital width at midorbit: 4.5-8.9 (mean 6.8) % of SL and at preocular spine base: 3.5-7.8 (5.7) % of SL; Last (13th) dorsal fin spine length: 13.3-21.3 (usually: 17.2) % of SL; Pelvic fin spine length: 15.1-25.0 (20.2) % of SL. Max. length: 15.0 cm TL. Depth range: 0 - 80 m.
Color
Head and body reddish, although greatly variable. Three poorly defined dark bands below eye; Anteriormost band on sides of snout from anteroventral margin of orbit to upper jaw; Middle band crossing eye vertically and reaching ventral margin of preopercle; Posteriormost band crossing eye obliquely, from supraocular tentacle base to interopercle. Broad dark band saddling nape over parietal-nuchal ridges. Six poorly defined dark bands on sides of body; Anterior 5 bands below dorsal fin base, extending onto dorsal fin membrane dorsally, and reaching abdomen or extending onto anal fin membrane ventrally; Posteriormost band on caudal peduncle. Both jaws and gill membrane strongly mottled in large specimens. Eye reddish or yellowish with reddish radial markings. Spinous portion of dorsal fin reddish; Spines with 3-6 irregular dark bands. Membranes of soft-rayed portion of dorsal fin pale red or semi-translucent, rays reddish, with numerous (ca. 30-80) black spots on rays, sometimes forming broken lines. Anal fin membranes semi-translucent, reddish basally, soft-rayed portion with numerous (ca. 20-40) small black spots on rays, spots conjoint and forming narrow dark lines basally. Dark spots on soft-rayed portions of dorsal and anal fins tending to increase in number with growth. Pectoral fin reddish, with 3-13 transverse dark bands, number of bands tending to increase with growth; Each band usually with inner row of poorly defined black spots but sometimes obscured or absent. Pelvic fin reddish with 3-7 dark bands. Caudal fin membrane semi-transparent, rays reddish, with numerous (ca. 30-60) small black spots on rays; Number of spots tending to increase with growth.
Etymology
Neochirus: from Greek, neo = new + from Greek, kheir or cheı́r = finger, hand. Referring to its large tree-like pectoral fins (hands) and a reference to the split from Dendrochirus.
brachyptera: from Latin, brachium = harm, fin + from Greek, pteron = wing. Referring to shorter pectoral fins compared with Dendrochirus zebra (described in same publication).
Original description: Pterois brachyptera Cuvier, 1829 - Type locality: Unknow (king's cabinet).
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: Sri Lanka, east to Hawaiian Islands (U.S.A.) and Tonga, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia, northern New Zealand and Kermadec Islands.
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: Sri Lanka, east to Hawaiian Islands (U.S.A.) and Tonga, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia, northern New Zealand and Kermadec Islands.
Biology
Common in reef flats and shallow lagoons, in areas with weed-covered rocks on sandy substrates. Adults often found on sponges and juveniles are sometimes found in small aggregations on remote bommies with 10 or so individuals. Nocturnal. Feeds on small crustaceans. Distinct pairing. Females possess specialized ovarian structures including stalk-like ovigerous lamellae and secretory epithelia. Venomous spines. Aquarium fish.
Similar species
Common in reef flats and shallow lagoons, in areas with weed-covered rocks on sandy substrates. Adults often found on sponges and juveniles are sometimes found in small aggregations on remote bommies with 10 or so individuals. Nocturnal. Feeds on small crustaceans. Distinct pairing. Females possess specialized ovarian structures including stalk-like ovigerous lamellae and secretory epithelia. Venomous spines. Aquarium fish.
Similar species
- Neochirus barberi (Steindachner, 1900) - Reported from Central Pacific: Johnston Atoll and Hawaiian Islands. Characterized by usually 18 pectoral fin rays, a relatively high number of scale rows in the longitudinal series (modally 51 vs. 39-49 in other species) and mottled markings on the pectoral fin in large specimens.
- Neochirus bella (Jordan and Hubbs, 1925) - Reported from Western Pacific: Japan, East China Sea, Taiwan, China and Vietnam. Characterized by usually 17 pectoral fin rays, a relatively low number of scale rows in the longitudinal series (modally 38 vs. 44-51 in other species), and the absence of skin flaps on the orbit surface and uppermost preopercular spine base.
- Neochirus hemprichi (Matsunuma, Motomura & Bogorodsky, 2017) - Reported from Red Sea; Western Indian Ocean: South Africa, East Africa and Gulf of Aden (Yemen), east to Seychelles and Madagascar.
- Neochirus tuamotuensis (Matsunuma & Motomura, 2013) - Reported from Southwest Pacific: Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia. Characterized by 19 pectoral fin rays, the posterior margin of the pectoral fin strongly notched, and a relatively shallow and narrow head and body.
- Dendrochirus zebra (Cuvier, 1829) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
Last update: 7, September 2024