The false scorpionfish (''Centrogenys vaigiensis''), also known as prettyfins, is a species of

perciform Perciformes (), also called the Percomorpha or Acanthopteri, is an order or superorder of ray-finned fish. If considered a single order, they are the most numerous order of vertebrates, containing about 41% of all bony fish. Perciformes means " ...

fish, the only species in

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

''Centrogenys'', which in turn is the only genus in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Centrogenyidae. They are pale grey or brown and usually grow no longer than . False scorpionfish are distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific, bounded by the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yona ...

of Japan to the north and Australia to the south, the Nicobar Islands to the west and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

to the east.

Description

False scorpionfishes can grow to a maximum length of , but are usually no longer than . The operculum (bony covering of gills) has two spines, the lower of which is more conspicuous. False scorpionfish have 36 to 44 lateral line scales. False scorpionfishes have 13 or 14 dorsal fin spines and 9 to 11 branched dorsal rays. The base of the anal fin is short, and has three spines and five segmented rays. The second anal fin spine is the longest. The pectoral fins have 12 to 14 rays, whereas pelvic fins have one spine and three rays. A membrane connects the inner pelvic ray to the body. The body overall is pale brown or grey. The fins may be the same colour or lighter, or even clear. The ventral side is paler than the dorsal side, and large brown or grey spots

mottle Mottle is a pattern of irregular marks, spots, streaks, blotches or patches of different shades or colours. It is commonly used to describe the surface of plants or the skin of animals. In plants, mottling usually consists of yellowish spots ...

the pectoral and

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two e ...

s and also the forward portion of the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as s ...

. False scorpionfish feed upon small fishes, shrimps, and crabs.

Mimicry

The false scorpionfish appears very similar to the true

scorpionfish The Scorpaenidae (also known as scorpionfish) are a family of mostly marine fish that includes many of the world's most venomous species. As their name suggests, scorpionfish have a type of "sting" in the form of sharp spines coated with venom ...

, to the point of originally being described as a species of ''

Scorpaena ''Scorpaena'' is a widespread genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. Taxonomy ''Scorpaena'' was first described as a genus in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th Edition of his ''Systema Naturae ...

''. This similarity protects the false scorpionfish from predators, which would not prey upon the very venomous true scorpionfish.

Distribution and habitat

They are

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

-water or

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

fish, living in the

benthopelagic The demersal zone is the part of the sea or ocean (or deep lake) consisting of the part of the water column near to (and significantly affected by) the seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a layer o ...

layer. Their range encompasses the Indo-West Pacific, from the Nicobar Islands to

, southwards to northern Australia, and as far north as the

of Japan. False scorpionfish occur on rocky bottoms and reefs, almost always those with ample

seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families ( Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the ...

covering. They are most commonly found in shallow waters along the coast.

Relationship to humans

False scorpionfishes have little or no role in commercial fisheries. However, they are occasionally found in home aquaria.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1126975 Percoidea Fish described in 1824