Rhinopias frondosa

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Rhinopias frondosa

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Scorpaenidae
Genus: Rhinopias
Species:
R. frondosa
Binomial name
Rhinopias frondosa
(
Günther
, 1892)
Synonyms[2]
  • Scorpaena frondosa Günther, 1892

Rhinopias frondosa, the weedy scorpionfish or the weed fish, is a species of marine

Pacific
. It is a rare but highly desirable fish in the aquarium trade.

Taxonomy

Rhinopias frondosa was first formally

sexually dimorphic single species.[5] The specific name frondosa means "branched or full of leaves", an allusion to the fleshy tentacles which cover most of the body of this fish.[6]

Description

Rhinopias frondosa has a highly compressed body which is covered in weed like tentacles. It has 12 spines and 9 soft rays in its

total length of 23 cm (9.1 in).[2]

Distribution

The weedy scorpionfish lives in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Australia and from South Africa to the Caroline Islands. They are found in depths ranging from 13 to 90 meters.[2]

Feeding and behaviour

Like most

invertebrates. They rarely swim, but rather move along the bottom propelling themselves with their fins.[8]

In aquarium

The weedy scorpionfish has no commercial value for fisheries, but commands a high price in the aquarium trade. Although they can be found in Eastern waters, they are mostly exported to the west where they fetch a high price due to the difficulty of identifying them in the wild and their issues with contracting diseases from live feeder options as it is extremely difficult to wean them onto prepared food. Rhinopias are highly sought after by aquarists who collect rare and unusual species. Newly introduced specimen have also been known to change colors if a group of rhinopias are already present in a different color.

For comparison, a specimen of the related species Rhinopias eschmeyeri.

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T69800391A69801052.en
    . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2021). "Rhinopias frondosa" in FishBase. August 2021 version.
  3. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Rhinopias". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  4. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Scorpaenidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Rhinopias frondosa". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  6. ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (2 October 2021). "Order Perciformes (Part 9): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Family Scorpaenidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  7. doi:10.1643/0045-8511(2006)2006[500:VOTPKS]2.0.CO;2
    .
  8. ^ Michael, Scott (May 2003). "Aquarium Fish: The Rhinopias Spp. – The Ultimate Scorpionfishes". advancedaquarist.com.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rhinopias frondosa.
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