''Lioscorpius''is a

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 ...

of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the subfamily

Setarchinae Setarchinae, the deep-sea bristly scorpionfishes, is a small subfamily of deep-sea ray-finned fishes, it is part of the family Scorpaenidae. They are small marine fishes, growing up to 25 cm, and are found in tropical and subtropical water ...

, the

deep-sea bristly scorpionfish Setarchinae, the deep-sea bristly scorpionfishes, is a small subfamily of deep-sea ray-finned fishes, it is part of the family Scorpaenidae. They are small marine fishes, growing up to 25 cm, and are found in tropical and subtropical waters ...

es, part of 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 ...

Scorpaenidae 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 ...

. They are native to the western

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

Taxonomy

''Lioscorpius''as formally described as a genus in 1880 by the German-born British

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of October ...

Albert Günther Albert Karl Ludwig Gotthilf Günther Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS, also Albert Charles Lewis Gotthilf Günther (3 October 1830 – 1 February 1914), was a German-born British zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. Günther is ranked th ...

when he described what was then its only species, ''L. longiceps'', from the

Kai Islands The Kai Islands (also Kei Islands) of Indonesia are a group of islands in the southeastern part of the Maluku Islands, located in the province of Maluku. The Moluccas have been known as the Spice Islands due to regionally specific plants such ...

in the

Banda Sea The Banda Sea ( id, Laut Banda, pt, Mar de Banda, tet, Tasi Banda) is one of four seas that surround the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, connected to the Pacific Ocean, but surrounded by hundreds of islands, including Timor, as well as the Halma ...

in Indonesia. The genus name ''Lioscorpius'' is a compound of ''lio'', meaning "smooth", Gunther described the head of ''L. longiceps'' "with scarcely any ridges or spines", and ''scorpius'' which means "scorpion", indicating that this is a scorpionfish.

Species

There are currently two recognized species in this genus: * ''

Lioscorpius longiceps ''Lioscorpius''is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the subfamily Setarchinae, the deep-sea bristly scorpionfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. They are native to the western Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Lioscorpius''as formally ...

'' Günther, 1880 (Slender scorpionfish) * ''

Lioscorpius trifasciatus ''Lioscorpius''is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the subfamily Setarchinae, the deep-sea bristly scorpionfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. They are native to the western Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Lioscorpius''as formally ...

Last A last is a mechanical form shaped like a human foot. It is used by shoemakers and cordwainers in the manufacture and repair of shoes. Lasts typically come in pairs and have been made from various materials, including hardwoods, cast iron, and ...

Yearsley Yearsley is a small village and civil parish in the district of Hambleton in North Yorkshire, England. The population of the civil parish was less than 100 at the 2011 Census. Details are included in the civil parish of Brandsby-cum-Stearsby. ...

& Motomura, 2005 (Tripleband scorpionfish)

Characteristics

''Lioscorpius'' scorpionfishes have a preorbital bone which has a very small first spine. A long projection above the preorbital covers its articulating surface. The rearmost 2-3 spines in the dorsal fin are small and are often embedded in the skin. They have a well developed swimbladded and a large gas gland. They have more slender bodies than related genera within the Setarchinae, the depth being around a quarter of the

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

, they also have a thin space between the eyes. The two species within the genus are distinguished by ''L. longiceps'' having 2 spines and 6 soft trays in its

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 ...

and ''L. trifasciatus'' having 3 spines and 5 soft rays in its anal fin.

Distribution and habitat

''Lioscorpius'' scorpionfishes are found in the western Pacific from Japan south to Australia, including Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji. They are described as bathydemersal (''L. longiceps'') or

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 ...

(''L. trifasciatus'') and are found at depths of between .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2019835 Setarchinae Taxa named by Albert Günther