Teleostei (teleosts) >
Perciformes/Scorpaenoidei (Scorpionfishes) >
Scorpaenidae (Scorpionfishes or rockfishes) > Scorpaeninae
Etymology: Phenacoscorpius: Greek, phenax, -akos = deceptive + Greek, skorpion = scorpion (Ref. 45335); mccoskeri: Named for Dr John E. McCosker, California Academy of Sciences who collected all of the type
specimens.
Eponymy: Dr John Edward McCosker (d: 1945) is an ichthyologist and evolutionary biologist who is Senior Scientist and first Professor of Aquatic Research at California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range ? - 515 m (Ref. 116601). Deep-water
Southeast Pacific: Galápagos Is., off Darwin I.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 10.1 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 116601)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 9; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 5. This species is distinguised by the following set of characters: pectoral-fin rays 19-20, with second to ninth rays branched; pored lateral-line scales 5-19 with posteriormost pore situated from below base of fifth dorsal-fin spine to anterior of caudal peduncle; scale rows in longitudinal series 46-48; presence of palatine teeth; small slit behind the fourth gill arch; no second preopercular spine; nuchal and parietal spines are distinct but joined at base; head large, long, its width 17.7-19.5% (mean 18.8%) of SL and length 46.1-51.9% (48.7%) of SL; interorbital space broad, its width at vertical midline of eye 8.0-8.9% (8.3%) of SL and posterior end of preocular spine base 6.2-6.8% (6.4%) of SL; postorbital length 24.1-25.2% (24.7%) of SL; deep caudal peduncle, depth 10.0-11.0% (10.7%) of SL (Ref. 116601).
The specimens were collected from a very steep rocky wall area with white sponges and stony corals, galathiid crabs, large ateleopodids (Guentherus altivela), morids, scorpionfish (Pontius), and catsharks at 515 m depth. It was observed to be solitary and not associated with other animals (Ref. 116601).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Wibowo, K. and H. Motomura, 2017. A new species of the deepwater scorpionfish genus Phenacoscorpius (Teleostei: Scorpaenidae) from the Galápagos Islands. Zootaxa 4323(2):261-268. (Ref. 116601)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = No PD50 data [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01778 (0.00689 - 0.04588), b=3.04 (2.82 - 3.26), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.6 ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
![Image of Phenacoscorpius mccoskeri (McCosker\](/images/thumbnails/jpg/tn_Phmcc_u0.jpg "Image of Phenacoscorpius mccoskeri (McCosker\")
