Ocellated waspfish
📖 Overview
Inhabits soft bottoms of the continental shelf. Primarily known from trawls over prawn-grounds but divers looking in suitable habitats can come across them, especially at night. During the day it buries itself deep in the sand with just the eyes exposed. When disturbed, it spreads its long pectoral fins with the bright upper color to deter predators. It uses its fins to corner prey and has sensitive barbels below the mouth to detect those buried in the substrate . Fin spines venomous (anterolateral glandular groove with venom gland ) . Sold in small quantities either fresh or dried and salted in markets. Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 57178.
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
Dorsal spines (total): 14 - 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 10; Anal spines: 3 - 4; Anal soft rays: 6 - 8. Bluish grey in color, belly pale; large black spot on rear half of spinous dorsal . : fusiform / normal.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Ocellated waspfish is currently being reviewed.
🦐 Diet
🥚 Reproduction
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Marine; demersal; depth range 14 - 60 m , usually 15 - 50 m . Deep-water West Pacific: Red Sea and the Persian Gulf south to Natal, South Africa and east to India and the Philippines, north to China and Japan, south Australia.
🌿 Ecology
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
⚠️ Venom Profile
- immediate intense pain
- swelling
- erythema
- occasional nausea and weakness
Analgesia; wound care; tetanus prophylaxis; severe cases may require monitoring for systemic effects.
References: Compiled from Bhide (2018), Halstead et al. (1988) and family-specific envenomation literature
🌐 Names & Taxonomy
Scientific Synonyms
| Scientific Name | Author | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apistus balnearum | Ogilby | 1910 | Synonym |
| Apistus carenatus | Bloch & Schneider | 1801 | Synonym |
| Apistus faurei | Gilchrist & Thompson | 1908 | Synonym |
| Apistus israelitarum | Cuvier | 1829 | Synonym |
| Hypodytes carinatus | Bloch & Schneider | 1801 | Synonym |
| Scorpaena carinata | Bloch & Schneider | 1801 | Synonym |
🗺️ Global Occurrence Map
Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 9 records indexed .
👥 Community & Contribute
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