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🌊 Marine Least Concern 🌡️ Tropical

Papuan scorpionfish

Scorpaenopsis papuensis Cuvier, 1829
Max Length
25 cm
Max Weight
-
Lifespan
-
Trophic Level
4.2
Depth
1–40 m
Climate
Tropical
Resilience
Medium
Vulnerability
36.00/100
Typical Length
20 cm
Depth Zone
reef

📖 Overview

Found in coral and rocky areas to depths over 40 m ; also in coastal and slopes, estuaries and lagoons, often in algae covered rubble zones . Feeds on fishes . Solitary and difficult to see due to camouflage colors (Ref 90102).

Scientific Name
Scorpaenopsis papuensis
Authority
Cuvier, 1829
Habitat
Marine
Climate
Tropical
Body Shape
Fusiform / normal
IUCN Status
LC
Max Length
25 cm
Depth Range
1–40 m
Trophic Level
4.2
Resilience
Medium
Vulnerability
36.00/100
Salinity
30–40 ppt

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 5. Snout length > orbit diameter. Has a dark purplish blotch on the rear of the spinous dorsal fin . Juveniles with large, forward pointing tentacles above the eyes . Space on opercle between opercular spines scaled; penultimate dorsal spine 1.9-2.2 in length of last spine; reaches 195 mm SL (rarely over 170 mm) (Ref 42181). : fusiform / normal.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Papuan scorpionfish is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

small fish
crustaceans
cephalopods

🥚 Reproduction

🐣 Oviparous 📦 Batch Spawner
Spawning Season
spring-summer
Spawn Location
Pelagic
Fertilization
External

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; brackish; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 40 m . Tropical north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to the Great Barrier Reef and Fiji.

🌿 Ecology

Zone Preferences
🌊 Marine 🌿 Brackish 🪸 Reef Associated
Trophic Level
4.2±0.8
🧍 Solitary
Food Items

fishes (Ref

📐 Morphometrics

Length–Weight Relationship: W = 0.01288 × L3.02 (TL)
Max TL
25cm
Dorsal Spines
12
Dorsal Rays
9
Anal Spines
3
Anal Rays
5

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

Salinity Range
30–40ppt

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

IUCN Category
Least Concern
Assessment Date
2015

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

Population Resilience
Medium
Minimum doubling time
Fishing Vulnerability
36.00/100
Moderate vulnerability
Trophic Level
4.2
Apex / Top predator
Body Shape
Fusiform / normal
Climate Zone
Tropical
Described By
Cuvier, 1829

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Scientific Synonyms

Scientific Name Author Year Status
Scorpaena papuensis Cuvier 1829 Synonym

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 6 records indexed .

Occurrence density from GBIF View GBIF records ↗

👥 Community & Contribute

Aquareap Community Observations
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