COMMENTS
v. 7.0 – 16 April 2024 view/download PDF
Family SCORPAENIDAE Scorpionfishes
26 genera/subgenera · 240 species/subspecies
Subfamily SCORPAENINAE Scorpionfishes
Hipposcorpaena Fowler 1938 hippos, horse, presumably referring to head, which slopes down like the head of a horse; Scorpaena, type genus of family
Hipposcorpaena filamentosa Fowler 1938 with filaments, presumably referring to “skinny flaps” on head and body
Hoplosebastes Schmidt 1929 hoplos, armor, referring to “very strong armature” on top of head; Sebastes, described as “nearly related” to Neosebastes (now in Neosebastidae)
Hoplosebastes armatus Schmidt1929 armed with a weapon, referring to “very strong armature” on top of head
Idiastion Eschmeyer 1965 Greek word for hermit or recluse, referring to the rarity of scorpaenids at the depth (585-622 m) at which I. kyphos was collected
Idiastion hageyi McCosker 2008 in honor of Harry R. Hagey (b. 1941), mutual-fund CEO (now retired), and an “avid fisherman, naturalist, trustee and supporter of the California Academy of Sciences,” under whose auspices type was collected
Idiastion kyphos Eschmeyer 1965 Greek for hump or humpback, referring to curvature of backbone and general body outline
Idiastion pacificum Ishida & Amaoka 1992 –icus, belonging to: only known member of genus from the Indo-Pacific region
Iracundus Jordan & Evermann 1903 wrathful, i.e., red with anger, referring to vermilion body color in life
Iracundus signifer Jordan & Evermann 1903 signum, mark; fero, to bear, referring to single jet-black spot about half diameter of pupil near tip of membrane between second and third spines of dorsal fin [Scorpaena asperella Bennett 1828 is a senior synonym but was not used as valid after 1899, therefore reversal of precedence according to ICZN Art. 23.9 in favor of I. signifer]
Neomerinthe Fowler 1935 neo-, new, i.e., a new genus related to Merinthe Snyder 1904 (=Pontius) [etymology of Merinthe not explained nor evident]
Neomerinthe amplisquamiceps (Fowler 1938) amplus, large; squamis, scale; ceps, head, referring to large scales on head
Neomerinthe bauchotae Poss & Duhamel 1991 in honor of Marie-Louise Bauchot (b. 1928), ichthyologist and assistant manager, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris), for her numerous contributions to ichthyology
Neomerinthe beanorum (Evermann & Marsh 1900) –orum, commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of Tarleton H. Bean (1846-1916), director of forestry and fisheries of the United States Commission at the Paris Exposition of 1900, and his brother, Barton A. Bean (1860-1947), acting curator of fishes in the U.S. National Museum, for their “valuable services to American ichthyology”
Neomerinthe bucephalus (Alcock 1896) from bouképhalos, Greek for bull-headed (an adjective but apparently used here as a noun), from bous, bull (metaphorically used to mean big), and kephale, head, presumably referring to extremely large head, described as half body length (minus caudal peduncle)
Neomerinthe erostris (Alcock 1896) e-, out of or from; rostris, snout, presumably referring to “Profile of snout almost in the same vertical line with the front border of the orbit” [italics in original]
Neomerinthe folgori (Postel & Roux 1964) in honor of the owner and crew of the lobster boat Folgor, from which type was collected
Neomerinthe harenartis Matsumoto & Motomura 2023 combination of the Latin words harena (sand) and ars (art), referring to the pattern on its dorsal body surface, reminiscent of sand drawing, a traditional culture in Vanuatu, the type locality
Neomerinthe hemingwayi Fowler 1935 in honor of Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), “author and angler of great game fishes, in appreciation of his assistance in [Fowler’s] work on Gulf Stream fishes” (although this species occurs in the Gulf Stream, Hemingway was not involved with its collection off the coast of New Jersey)
Neomerinthe ignea Matsumoto, Muto & Motomura 2023 Latin for fiery, referring to bright-orange to reddish-white body and tentacle color of fresh specimens
Neomerinthe kaufmani (Herre 1952) in honor of Herre’s “young colleague, Donald Kaufman, enthusiastic and painstaking student of fishes”; this was American aquatic biologist Don E. Kauffman (note correct spelling), who, in 1947, was aboard motor ship Theodore N. Gill, collecting data for the Philippines Fishery Programme, and co-authored a paper (his name spelled correctly) with Herre on triglids later in 1952 [since there is no internal evidence in Herre’s paper that he misspelled the name, the original spelling stands]
Neomerinthe megalepis (Fowler 1938) mega-, great; lepis, scale, referring to its large scales, 25 to 28+2 close along and above lateral line
Neomerinthe naevosa Motomura, Béarez & Causse 2011 Latin for blotch, referring to large black blotch above first and second pored lateral-line scales
Neomerinthe ornithoptera Matsumoto & Motomura 2024 ornithos, bird; ptera, wing, referring to shape of pectoral fin, reminiscent of a bird’s wing
Neomerinthe pallidimacula (Fowler 1938) pallidus, pale; macula, spot, referring to “inconspicuous blotch on spinous dorsal,” an apparent misnomer because blotch is earlier described as “Dark brown” and “dark”; soft dorsal fin is described as having “some obscure brown shades on membranes”
Neomerinthe rufescens (Gilbert 1905) reddish, “blotched with white vermilion and pearly white” in life
Neoscorpaena Mandrytsa 2001 neo-, new, i.e., a new genus related to Scorpaena but separated by the presence of a slit behind last gill arch
Neoscorpaena nielseni (Smith 1964) in honor of Jørgen G. Nielsen (b. 1932), Zoological Museum of Copenhagen, a “scientist who has been most co-operative in aiding [Smith’s] researches”
Parascorpaena Bleeker 1876 para-, near, described as similar to Scorpaena but distinguished by the presence of an anteroventrally directed posterior lacrimal spine
Parascorpaena armata (Sauvage 1873) armed with a weapon, presumably referring to anteroventrally directed posterior lacrimal spine
Parascorpaena aurita (Rüppell 1838) eared, referring to how “rear end of the gill cover extends below the lateral line as an ear-shaped rounded lobe” (translation)
Parascorpaena bandanensis (Bleeker1851) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Banda Neira, Banda Islands, Indonesia, type locality (also occurs off Singapore and the Philippines)
Parascorpaena grandisquamis (Ogilby 1910) grandis, large; squamis, scale, referring to its large scales, arranged in a regular series
Parascorpaena maculipinnis Smith 1957 macula, spot; pinna, fin, referring to prominent black blotch on spinous dorsal fin
Parascorpaena mcadamsi (Fowler 1938) in honor of Fred McAdams (Cape May, New Jersey, USA), to whom Fowler was “indebted for many interesting off-shore American fishes” (this Indo-Pacific species clearly not being one of them); per Fowler (1937), McAdams was probably an officer aboard a commercial fishing trawler owned by the Atlantic Coast Fisheries Corporation of New York City
Parascorpaena mossambica (Peters 1855) –ica, belonging to: Mozambique, Indian Ocean, type locality (occurs in Red Sea and Indian Ocean from East Africa east to western Indonesia)
Parascorpaena moultoni (Whitley 1961) in honor of James M. Moulton (1921-1986), Bowdoin College (Brunswick, Maine, USA), who came to Queensland, Australia, in 1960-61 to study underwater noises made by animals, whereupon he collected type
Parascorpaena picta (Cuvier 1829) painted, a manuscript or museum name coined by Kuhl & van Hasselt that Cuvier retained, noting that its marbling and colors are similar to other members of Scorpaena (original genus)
Parascorpaena poseidon Chou & Liao 2022 named after Poseidon, Greek god of the sea, referring to its three equally-sized and ridgeless suborbital spines, similar to the trident of Poseidon
Phenacoscorpius Fowler1938 phenaco-, cheat, referring to incomplete lateral line of P. megalops; scorpius, scorpion, i.e., a scorpionfish
Phenacoscorpius adenensis Norman 1939 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Gulf of Aden, northwestern Indian Ocean, type locality (occurs in Indo-West Pacific from South Africa and Madagascar east to Fiji, south to New Zealand)
Phenacoscorpius eschmeyeri Parin & Mandrytsa 1992 in honor of scorpionfish taxonomist William N. Eschmeyer (b. 1939), California Academy of Sciences, who examined holotype and first noted that it represented an undescribed species
Phenacoscorpius longilineatus Motomura, Causse & Struthers 2012 longus, long; lineatus, lined, referring to its long lateral line, associated with its having the greatest number of pored lateral-line scales in the genus
Phenacoscorpius longicaudalis Wibowo & Motomura 2022 longus, long; caudalis, caudal, referring to “relatively” long caudal fin
Phenacoscorpius longirostris Motomura & Last 2009 longus, long; rostris, snout, referring to long snout, “remarkably longer” than that of P. megalops
Phenacoscorpius mccoskeri Wibowo & Motomura 2017 in honor of John E. McCosker (b. 1945), California Academy of Sciences, who collected all of the type specimens and “kindly” made them available to the authors
Phenacoscorpius megalops Fowler 1938 mega-, large; ops, eye, referring to its “very large” eyes, larger than snout
Phenacoscorpius nebris Eschmeyer 1965 Greek for skin of the fawn or spotted like a fawn, referring to its pigmentation
Pogonoscorpius Regan 1908 pogon, referring to well-developed mental barbel; scorpius, scorpion, i.e., a scorpionfish
Pogonoscorpius sechellensis Regan 1908 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Seychelles, Indian Ocean, only known area of occurrence
Pontinus Poey 1860 from pontis, bridge, referring to suborbital stay (or ridge), common to all scorpaenids, an extension of the third infraorbital bone (second suborbital) extending backward across cheek and usually firmly bound to preopercle; Poey added: “If the idea of a bridge formed by the first three suborbitals can satisfy the etymologists, I would be very happy: I have already said that the most learned names are not the best” (translation; see Verilus, Pempheriformes: Malakichthyidae)
Pontinus accraensis Norman 1935 –ensis, suffix denoting place: off Accra, Ghana, type locality (occurs in eastern Atlantic from Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau to Namibia, islands of Gulf of Guinea and Cape Verde Islands)
Pontinus castor Poey 1860 named for Castor, one of the Gemini, or twins, in Greek mythology; allusion not explained, but probably referring to its being a sibling species of P. pollux (now a junior synonym of castor), described at the same time (see also P. helena and P. leda)
Pontinus clemensi Fitch 1955 in honor of Harold B. Clemens (1923-2019), biologist, California Department of Fish and Game, whose “untiring collecting efforts have resulted in quantities of exceedingly fine specimens,” including holotype
Pontinus corallinus Miranda Ribeiro 1903 coralline, presumably referring to rosy body color, spotted with red
Pontinus dubius Steindachner 1902 doubtful, reflecting Steindachner’s hesitation to treat his single specimen as distinct from P. furcirhinus
Pontinus furcirhinus Garman 1899 furcatus, forked; rhinus, snout, referring to forked appearance of upper jaw “due to great bunches of teeth”
Pontinus helena Eschmeyer 1965 named for Helena, sister of Castor in Greek mythology, alluding to P. castor (see also P. leda)
Pontinus kuhlii (Bowdich 1825) patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of German naturalist Heinrich Kuhl (1797-1821), who died while collecting fauna and flora in Java
Pontinus leda Eschmeyer 1969 named for Leda, mother of Castor, Helen and Pollux in Greek mythology, alluding to P. castor and P. helena
Pontinus longispinis Goode & Bean 1896 longus, long; spinis, spine, referring to long spines of first dorsal fin
Pontinus macrocephalus (Sauvage 1882) macro-, large; cephalus, head, referring to large head, described as 2½ times in TL
Pontinus nematophthalmus (Günther 1860) nemato-, thread; ophthalmus, eye, referring to long filament above each orbit
Pontinus nigerimum Eschmeyer 1983 niger, black; –imum, lowest part or bottom, referring to black band on lower ⅓ of supraocular tentacle
Pontinus nigropunctatus (Günther 1868) nigro-, black; punctatus, spotted, referring to numerous brownish-black dots on reddish-rose body
Pontinus rathbuni Goode & Bean 1896 in honor of Richard Rathbun (1852-1918), Chief of the Division of Scientific Inquiry, U. S. Fish Commission
Pontinus rhodochrous (Günther 1872) rhodo-, rosy; chroa, color of body or skin, referring to red coloration
Pontinus sierra (Gilbert 1890) Spanish for saw (a Mexican species), presumably referring to scales on head, “compressed, knife-like, disposed in six well defined series”
Pontinus strigatus Heller & Snodgrass 1903 streaked, presumably referring to any or all of the following: back and head above level of preopercular spine “spotted or indistinctly streaked” with dark olive-brown; sides below dorsal fin “streaked obliquely” with olive-brown; soft anal with a “dusky central streak”
Pontinus tentacularis (Fowler 1938) with tentacles, referring to very long supraorbital tentacles
Pontinus vaughani Barnhart & Hubbs 1946 in honor of T. Wayland Vaughan (1870-1952), Director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (1924-1936), who “played a leading role” in its development
Pteroidichthys Bleeker 1856 –oides, having the form of: Pterois (Pteroinae), close to that genus but distinguished by absence of spines on head (other than edges of opercle and preopercle), among other characters; ichthys, fish
Pteroidichthys acutus Motomura & Kanade 2015 sharp, having the longest and sharpest snout in the genus
Pteroidichthys amboinensis Bleeker 1856 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ambon Island, Molucca Islands, Indonesia, co-type locality (occurs in Red Sea and Indo-West Pacific from India east to Philippines and Fiji, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia)
Pteroidichthys caussei Motomura & Kanade 2015 in honor of Romain Causse, the senior author’s friend, who manages the fish collection of Muséum national de Histoire naturelle (Paris) and made specimens available
Pteroidichthys noronhai (Fowler 1938) in honor of Adolfo César de Noronha (1873-1963), director of the Funchal Museum (Madeira)
Rhinopias Gill 1905 rhino, snout and op, eye, referring to upturned snout and “elevated” orbits of R. frondosa; –ias, suffix used in some Greek names of fishes (e.g., Xiphias)
Rhinopiasaphanes Eschmeyer 1973 that which is unseen or inconspicuous, referring to the camouflage provided by its “remarkable” coloration and skin flaps
Rhinopias argoliba Eschmeyer, Hirosaki & Abe 1973 argos, white; libos, tear or drop, referring to milky-white teardrop below eye
Rhinopias cea Randall & DiSalvo 1997 in honor of Alfredo Cea Egaña (1934-2016), Chilean physician, wreck diver, photographer, filmmaker and spearfisher, for his contribution to our knowledge of the fishes of Easter Island (where this species is endemic), the documentation of their native names, and for his dedication to the people of Rapa Nui as their physician for many years [presumably a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]
Rhinopias eschmeyeri Condé 1977 in honor of William N. Eschmeyer (b. 1939), California Academy of Sciences, “eminent” (translation) specialist in scorpionfishes, who revised Rhinopias in 1973
Rhinopias frondosa (Günther 1892) branched or full of leaves, presumably referring to “long fleshy tentacles, simple or fringed at the end, covering nearly every part of body
Rhinopias xenops (Gilbert 1905) xenos, different; ops, eye, presumably referring to “upper half of orbital rim prominently elevated and separated from rest of head”
Scorpaena Linnaeus 1758 from skórpaina, scorpion, ancient Greek name of S. scrofa, referring to its dorsal-fin spines, which can inflict a painful wound, like the sting of a scorpion
Scorpaena afuerae Hildebrand 1946 of Lobos de Afuera Island, Peru, type locality (occurs in eastern Pacific from Costa Rica south to Peru, including Cocos Island)
Scorpaena agassizii Goode & Bean 1896 in honor of Alexander Agassiz (1835-1910), Curator, Museum of Comparative Zoology (Harvard), and director of several deep-sea exploring expeditions, “the leading spirit in American thalassographic research”
Scorpaena albifimbria Evermann & Marsh 1900 albus, white; fimbria, flap, referring to numerous milky-white specks and dermal flaps on head and body
Scorpaena angolensis Norman 1935 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Elephant Bay, Angola, type locality (occurs in eastern Atlantic from Mauritania south to Angola, including Cape Verde Islands)
Scorpaena annobonae Eschmeyer 1969 of Annobón Island, Equatorial Guinea, only known area of occurrence
Scorpaena ascensionis Eschmeyer 1971 –is, genitive singular of: off Ascension Island, southern central Atlantic, only known area of occurrence
Scorpaena azorica Eschmeyer 1969 –ica, belonging to: Azores, northeastern Atlantic, only known area of occurrence
Scorpaena bergii Evermann & Marsh 1900 in honor of Friedrich Wilhelm Karl (“Carlos”) Berg (1843-1902), director of the National Museum of Buenos Aires, for his “excellent” work on South American fishes
Scorpaena brachyptera Eschmeyer 1965 brachy, short; ptera, fin, referring to its short dorsal and pectoral fins
Scorpaena brasiliensis Cuvier 1829 –ensis, suffix denoting place: described from off the coast of Brazil (occurs in western Atlantic from Virginia, USA, south to northern Brazil, including Gulf of Mexico)
Scorpaena brevispina Motomura & Senou 2008 brevis, short; spina, spine, referring to its short dorsal-fin spines
Scorpaena bulacephala Motomura, Last & Yearsley 2005 bula, bull; cephalus, headed, referring to shape of head
Scorpaena calcarata Goode & Bean 1882 armed with a spur, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to five preorbital spines, the “lowermost stout, directed downward and forward, the uppermost rather long—more than half as long as the eye”
Scorpaena canariensis (Sauvage 1878) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Canary Islands, eastern Atlantic, type locality (also occurs at the islands of Madeira and the Azores)
Scorpaena cardinalis Solander & Richardson 1842 red, described as having a bright red-orange body color with red spots
Scorpaena cocosensis Motomura 2004 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Cocos Island, eastern Pacific, type locality (also occurs at Galapágos Islands)
Scorpaena colorata (Gilbert1905) colored, presumably referring to color in spirits: upper half of body largely bright rose-red or purplish, traversed by a few irregular curved lines of grayish-olive ground color; red blotches on cheeks, opercles, branchial membranes and roof of mouth; and dorsal fins reddish with white pigment, the red more intense near margin of fin, the tips of spines narrowly white
Scorpaena decemradiata Fricke, Golani, Appelbaum-Golani & Zajonz 2018 decem, ten; radiata, rayed, referring to 10 soft rays of dorsal fin, which distinguish it from the closely related S. porcus
Scorpaena dispar Longley & Hildebrand 1940 different, referring to how it differs from S. brasiliensis in having fewer scales, more spines on suborbital keel, and “prominently” its color, and from other local Scorpaena in having three “definite” spines on supraorbital
Scorpaenaelachys Eschmeyer 1965 Greek for small, referring to its small size (holotype 46 mm SL)
Scorpaena elongata Cadenat 1943 elongate, referring to more elongate body shape compared to S. scrofa
Scorpaena fernandeziana Steindachner 1875 –iana, belonging to: Juan Fernández Islands, Chile, type locality (also occurs at Desventuradas Islands)
Scorpaena gasta Motomura, Last & Yearsley 2006 derived from the Anglo-Saxon (actually Old English) gast, meaning spirit or apparition, referring to its “somewhat ghostly appearance” when preserved in alcohol
Scorpaena grandicornis Cuvier 1829 grandis, large; cornis, horn, referring to large, plumed cirrus on head, reaching to beyond front of dorsal fin
Scorpaena grattanica Trunov 2006 –ica, belonging to: Grattan Bank, near Ascension Island, southern central Atlantic, only known area of occurrence
Scorpaena guttata Girard 1854 spotted, referring to “numerous small black spots, more defined on the head than on the body, and much larger on the fins”
Scorpaena histrio Jenyns 1840 harlequin, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its gaudy appearance, with head and body covered with numerous cutaneous appendages, and scarlet-red body with small irregularly-shaped light-black spots
Scorpaena inermis Cuvier 1829 unarmed, referring to less-pronounced spines on head compared with S. plumieri
Scorpaena isthmensis Meek & Hildebrand 1928 –ensis, suffix denoting place: described from Panama, an isthmus (occurs in western Atlantic from Panama south to Santa Catarina, Brazil)
Scorpaena jacksoniensis Steindachner 1866 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Port Jackson, New South Wales, Australia, type locality
Scorpaena lacrimata Randall & Greenfield 2004 Latin for shedding tears or weeping, referring to short dark-brown bar below the eye, reminiscent of a tear
Scorpaena laevis Troschel 1866 smooth, referring to its cycloid scales, “which have absolutely no thorns on the rear edge, therefore the fish appears perfectly smooth even when stroking with the finger from back to front, which, as far as I know, is not the case in any other” (translation) member of the genus (cycloid scales have since been described in other species)
Scorpaena longaecrista Wibowo & Motomura 2021 longus, long; crista, crest, referring to long interorbital ridges, continuous with low ridges laterally surrounding occipital pit and joining with parietal spine bases
Scorpaena loppei Cadenat 1943 in honor of Etienne Loppé (1883-1954), Chief Curator, Lafaille Museum of Natural History (La Rochelle, France), who provided type specimens
Scorpaena maderensis Valenciennes 1833 –ensis, suffix denoting place: described from Madeira (occurs in Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic from Portugal south to Senegal, including Azores, Madeira, Canary and Cape Verde islands) [originally spelled madurensis but revised spelling is retained due to prevailing usage]
Scorpaena melasma Eschmeyer 1965 Greek for black spot, referring to black spot behind head
Scorpaena mellissii Günther 1868 in honor of John Charles Melliss (1835-1911), amateur naturalist and government surveyor on St. Helena Island in the South Atlantic (where this species is endemic), who collected type; “Various naturalists have brought to Europe collections from that island,” Günther said, “but they were all made during a more or less hurried visit, and I believe that Mr. Melliss is the first resident on the island who has paid attention to this subject.”
Scorpaena miostoma Günther 1877 mio-, less or small; stoma, mouth, allied to S. longicornis and S. zanzibarensis (both now synonyms of Parascorpaena mossambica) but with a “considerably narrower mouth”
Scorpaena mystes Jordan & Starks 1895 Latin word for initiated one, or priest, allusion not explained; described as having an olive brown, almost black, coloration (although color is quite variable), so perhaps referring to its darker coloration, like the vestments of a priest, as in Sebastes mystinus (Sebastidae), also co-described by Jordan
Scorpaena nasicornua Fricke & Zhukov 2020 nasus, nose; cornua, horns, referring to its enlarged nasal spines
Scorpaena neglecta Temminck & Schlegel 1843 overlooked, referring to how the Japanese had confused this species with S. cirrhosa (now Scorpaenopsis cirrosa)
Scorpaena normani Cadenat 1943 in honor of ichthyologist J. R. (John Roxborough) Norman (1898-1944), British Museum (Natural History), who reported this species as S. canariensis in 1935
Scorpaena notata Rafinesque 1810 marked, referring to large, semicircular black spot between sixth and tenth dorsal-fin spines
Scorpaena onaria Jordan & Snyder 1900 latinization of onari, Japanese name for this species (tabu is an alternate name), meaning “an Emperor’s journey; a fish tabu, or set aside, for the Emperor” (per Jordan & Starks 1904), allusion not explained nor evident
Scorpaena orgila Eschmeyer & Allen 1971 Greek for “prone to anger,” referring to its aggressiveness towards divers; on one occasion, a specimen “lunged out towards [ichthyologist] John Randall, actually striking the spear which he held in his hand”
Scorpaena papillosa papillosa (Schneider & Forster 1801) papillose, referring to fleshy tentacles along pored lateral line
Scorpaena papillosa ergastulorum Richardson 1842 –orum, belonging to: ergastulum, Latin for penitentiary, referring to Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australian, type locality, then a penal colony for British prisoners
Scorpaena pascuensis Eschmeyer & Allen 1971 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Isla de Pascua, Spanish name for Easter Island, where it is endemic
Scorpaena pepo Motomura, Poss & Shao 2007 Latin for pumpkin, referring to yellowish-orange body color of fresh specimens
Scorpaena petricola Eschmeyer 1965 petra, rock; –cola, living among, referring to its apparent offshore hard-bottom habitat
Scorpaena plumieri Bloch 1789 in honor of Charles Plumier (1646-1704), Franciscan monk and naturalist, who discovered this fish at Martinique, and on whose drawing and manuscript Bloch’s description is based
Scorpaena porcus Linnaeus 1758 pig or hog, allusion not explained, perhaps dating to observations made by Athenaeus, who said this species lives in and feeds upon seaweed or algae, which Renaissance translators (e.g., Salviani) interpreted as mud (Holger Funk, pers. comm.)
Scorpaena regina Wibowo, Johnson & Motomura 2019 queen, referring to Queensland, Australia, type locality
Scorpaena russula Jordan & Bollman 1890 reddish, referring to red and brown mottlings in life
Scorpaena scrofa Linnaeus 1758 Latin for breeding sow, presumably named for scrofano and scrofanello, Italian names for this and related species (e.g., S. porcus), and the Anglo-Saxon “hogfish,” perhaps referring to Renaissance claims that scorpionfishes live and feed on mud (see S. porcus)
Scorpaena sonorae Jenkins & Evermann 1889 of Guaymas, Sonora, western México, type locality (occurs in southern Baja California and the Gulf of California)
Scorpaena sororreginae Wibowo & Motomura 2021 soror, sister; regina, queen, referring to its similarity to the eastern Australian species, Eastern Queen Scorpionfish, S. regina [a noun in apposition, so addition of terminal “e” is not grammatically necessary]
Scorpaena stephanica Cadenat 1943 according to a footnote: “Stephanica, de ‘Port Etienne,’ ” possibly referring to a ship at Port Etienne (now Nouadhibou), Mauritania, type locality (which is also the site of a large ship graveyard)
Scorpaena sumptuosa Castelnau 1875 Latin for magnificent or splendid, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to red body color, with “very conspicuous” black spots
Scorpaena thomsoni Günther 1880 patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of Charles Wyville Thomson (1830-1882), chief scientist of the HMS Challenger, from which type was collected (Thomson also persuaded the British Government to furnish the Challenger for a global voyage of oceanographic research)
Scorpaena tierrae Hildebrand 1946 of Lobos de Tierra Bay, Peru, type locality (occurs in eastern Pacific from Peru south to Chile)
Scorpaena uncinata de Buen 1961 Latin for hooked or barbed, referring to hook-shaped (curved backward) preocular and nuchal spines
Scorpaena vesperalis Wibowo & Motomura 2020 Latin for west, referring to Western Australia, type locality, which is also the westernmost occurrence of the S. papillosa complex
Scorpaena wellingtoni Victor 2013 in honor of Gerard M. Wellington (d. 2014), University of Houston (Texas, USA), a “pioneer in research on the marine biology and conservation in the Galápagos Archipelago [where this species is endemic]. He developed the first plan for the Parque Nacional Galápagos as a member of the Peace Corps in the 1970s and in subsequent decades conducted many expeditions and surveys, especially on the effect of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation and climate change on the fragile marine ecosystem of the Galápagos Archipelago.”
Scorpaenodes Bleeker1857 –oides, having the form of: Scorpaena, original genus of type species, S. polylepis (=guamensis)
Scorpaenodes africanus Pfaff 1933 African, referring to occurrence in eastern Atlantic off the coast of Senegal
Scorpaenodes albaiensis (Evermann & Seale 1907) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Albay Gulf, Philippines, type locality (occurs in Red Sea and Indo-West Pacific from East Africa east to Fiji and Tonga, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to northern Australia and New Caledonia)
Scorpaenodes arenai Torchio 1962 in honor of Giuseppe Arena, Ganzirri, Italy (no other information available), who collected type for the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano
Scorpaenodes barrybrowni Pitassy & Baldwin 2016 in honor of Barry Brown (b. 1965), Substation Curaçao (mini-submarine rides for tourists) and photographer, who has “patiently, diligently, and expertly taken photographs of hundreds of fishes and invertebrates captured alive by DROP [Smithsonian’s Deep Reef Observation Project] investigators. He has generously shared his photographs, and they have enhanced numerous scientific and educational publications,” including a photo of this species
Scorpaenodes bathycolus Allen & Erdmann 2012 bathy, deep; –colus, living among, referring to its deep reef (60 m) habitat
Scorpaenodes caribbaeus Meek & Hildebrand 1928 from the Caribbean coast of Panama, type locality
Scorpaenodes corallinus Smith 1957 pertaining to coral, referring to its habitat, “normally found well below low tide mark, usually in 1-5 fathoms, only in coral”
Scorpaenodes elongatus Cadenat 1950 elongate, referring to more elongate body compared with S. africanus
Scorpaenodes englerti Eschmeyer & Allen 1971 in honor of Anton Franz Englert (1888-1969), a Roman Catholic priest known as Father Sebastian, who lived on Easter Island (type locality) for over 30 years and was an “avid” student of the island’s archaeology and natural history; he died in New Orleans, Louisiana (USA), while raising funds for the restoration of archaeological sites on Easter Island and was buried on 18 January, 1969, the same day the junior author and ichthyologist John Randall arrived on the island to collect fishes (including type of this one)
Scorpaenodes evides (Jordan & Thompson 1914) pretty, allusion not explained, described as “dark olivaceous, vaguely mottled” in spirits
Scorpaenodes guamensis (Quoy & Gaimard 1824) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Guam, Mariana Islands, western Pacific, type locality (widely occurs in the Red Sea and Indo-West Pacific)
Scorpaenodes hirsutus (Smith 1957) hairy, presumably referring to any or all of the following: a “fleshy” tentacle at supraocular, “simple tentacles” at front of snout and at most spines on head, and other “filaments on side of head, small ones on front lateral line scales, all variably present”
Scorpaenodes immaculatus Poss & Collette 1990 im-, not; maculatus, spotted, referring to “diagnostic lack of pronounced markings on the body and fins typical of other species of Scorpaenodes”
Scorpaenodes insularis Eschmeyer 1971 of an island, referring to St. Helena Island, type locality (also occurs at Ascension Island and St. Paul’s Rocks in the southern central Atlantic)
Scorpaenodes investigatoris Eschmeyer & Rama-Rao 1972 –is, genitive singular of: Royal Indian Marine Survey steamer Investigator, which made important collections in the Indian Seas (1884-1926), alluding to this fish’s occurrence off western India and West Pakistan
Scorpaenodes kelloggi (Jenkins 1903) in honor of entomologist Vernon Lyman Kellogg (1867-1937), Jenkins’ colleague at Stanford University
Scorpaenodes minor (Smith 1958) small, referring to smaller size (30-50 mm) compared with Hypomacrus africanus (=Scorpaenodes albaiensis)
Scorpaenodes muciparus (Alcock 1889) muci-, mucus; -parus, denoting production, referring to a “large muciferous canal, with several distant large circular openings,” extending “along free margin of operculum and the limb of the lower jaw up to the symphysis”
Scorpaenodes parvipinnis (Garrett 1864) parvus, small; pinnis, fin, referring to its small dorsal and anal fins
Scorpaenodes quadrispinosus Greenfield & Matsuura 2002 quadri-, four; spinosus, spiny, referring to its diagnostic four suborbital spines
Scorpaenodes rubrivinctus Poss, McCosker & Baldwin 2010 ruber, red; vinctus, banded, referring to distinct broad, orange or orange-red vertical bars on body that extend onto the fins
Scorpaenodes scaber (Ramsay & Ogilby 1886) rough, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to lateral line “armed with sharp curved spines pointing backwards”
Scorpaenodes smithi Eschmeyer & Rama-Rao 1972 in honor of the late J. L. B. Smith (1897-1968), for his “noteworthy” contributions to the knowledge of scorpionfishes from the Indian Ocean
Scorpaenodes steenei Allen 1977 in honor of Australian naturalist and underwater photographer Roger C. Steene (b. 1942), who helped Allen in procuring the first known specimens (paratypes) and also provided a color photograph; in addition, he assisted Allen at his own expense on a trip to the Dampier Archipelago during October-November 1974
Scorpaenodes steinitzi Klausewitz & Frøiland 1970 in honor of Heinz Steinitz (1909-1971), marine biologist and herpetologist (Hebrew University, Jerusalem), who collected type and offered it to the authors
Scorpaenodes tredecimspinosus (Metzelaar 1919) tredecim, thirteen; spinosus, spiny, referring to 13 dorsal-fin spines
Scorpaenodes tribulosus Eschmeyer 1969 Latin for thorny, referring to strongly ctenoid scales
Scorpaenodes varipinnis Smith 1957 vari-, varied or variegated; pinnis, fin, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “striking and handsome markings” on dorsal, caudal and pelvic fins
Scorpaenodes xyris (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) from xyron, Greek for razor, referring to sharp spines on head (e.g., nuchal, occipital, opercular)
Scorpaenopsis Heckel 1837 opsis, appearance, proposed for S. nesogallica (=gibbosa), similar in appearance to Scorpaena but lacking palatine teeth
Scorpaenopsis altirostris Gilbert1905 alti-, high; rostris, snout, referring to “short and high” snout, “without a preocular depression”
Scorpaenopsis barbata (Rüppell 1838) bearded, referring to 3-4 fleshy tentacles on each side of lower jaw
Scorpaenopsis brevifrons Eschmeyer & Randall 1975 brevis, short; frons, brow or forehead, referring to steep head profile compared with longer, more pointed snout found in most species of Scorpaenopsis
Scorpaenopsis cacopsis Jenkins 1901 kakos, Greek for bad but used here to mean ugly; opsis, face, presumably referring to any or all of the following: numerous spines, dermal flaps, cavities and depressed areas on head; very convex snout, forming an “abrupt hump”
Scorpaenopsis cirrosa (Thunberg 1793) with curls on tendrils, referring to fleshy tentacles on head and lower jaw
Scorpaenopsis cotticeps Fowler 1938 Cottus, genus of sculpins; ceps, head, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to sculpin-like combination of big head and wide mouth
Scorpaenopsis crenulata Motomura & Causse 2011 minutely crenate, referring to serrated spines on dorsal part of head
Scorpaenopsis diabolus (Cuvier 1829) devilish or of the devil, referring to diable, said to be its local name at Mer du Croisic (northern Bay of Biscay, eastern Atlantic, but this Indo-Pacific species does not occur there), probably referring to its venomous dorsal-fin spines; Cuvier & Valenciennes (1829) report that locals in the Moluccas Islands of Indonesia shun this fish because of the “bad omen” of its name, and that two locals died from after “frightful suffering” (translation)
Scorpaenopsis eschmeyeri Randall & Greenfield 2004 in honor of William N. Eschmeyer (b. 1939), California Academy of Sciences, for his research on scorpaenid fishes
Scorpaenopsis furneauxi Whitley1959 in honor of Capt. Tobias Furneaux (1735-1781), English navigator and Royal Navy officer who accompanied James Cook on his second voyage of exploration, including Australia, where this species occurs; Whitley mentioned that a biography of Furneaux had recently (1956) been published, perhaps inspiring this name
Scorpaenopsis gibbosa (Bloch & Schneider 1801) humpbacked (“dorso gibbo”), referring to elevated back
Scorpaenopsis gilchristi (Smith 1957) in honor of John Dow Fisher Gilchrist (1866-1926), the “father of South African ichthyology and the pioneer investigator of the rich resources of our seas”
Scorpaenopsis insperata Motomura 2004 Latin for unexpected, referring to its “unexpected discovery” from Sydney Harbor, Australia, a populated harbor adjacent to the Sydney metropolitan area [originally spelled insperatus; emended to agree with feminine gender of genus]
Scorpaenopsis lactomaculata (Herre 1945) lactis, milk; maculata, spotted, referring to circular milky spot just above lateral line and beneath ninth dorsal-fin spine, beneath eye, and at hind end of soft dorsal-fin base (tentacles or flaps below lateral line are also milky white)
Scorpaenopsis longispina Randall & Eschmeyer 2001 longus, long; spina, spine, referring to “unusually” long second anal-fin spine
Scorpaenopsis macrochir Ogilby 1910 macro-, long or large; cheiros, hand, referring to “very large” pectoral fin, extending to above second anal-fin spine
Scorpaenopsis neglecta Heckel 1837 neglected or overlooked, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to similarity to (and possible previous identification as) S. nesogallica (=gibbosa)
Scorpaenopsis obtusa Randall & Eschmeyer 2001 obtuse, having the shortest, most blunt snout in the genus
Scorpaenopsis orientalis Randall & Eschmeyer 2001 eastern, referring to occurrence off southern Japan (south to Taiwan)
Scorpaenopsis oxycephalus (Bleeker 1849) oxy, sharp; cephalus, head, referring to long snout
Scorpaenopsis papuensis (Cuvier 1829) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Papua (New Guinea), type locality (occurs in Indo-West Pacific from Indonesia east to Society Islands, north to southern Sea of Japan, south to northern Australia)
Scorpaenopsis pluralis Randall & Eschmeyer 2001 Latin for more than one, referring to 2-4 spinous tips on opercular spines, second lacrimal spine, supracleithral spine, and upper preopercular spine
Scorpaenopsis possi Randall & Eschmeyer 2001 in honor of Stuart G. Poss, for his research on scorpaeniform fishes and for his help with the authors’ study
Scorpaenopsis pusilla Randall & Eschmeyer 2001 very small, “clearly” the smallest member of the genus (up to 27.3 mm SL)
Scorpaenopsis ramaraoi Randall & Eschmeyer 2001 in honor of the late Kaza V. Rama-Rao (1940-?), Zoological Survey of India, Marine Biological Station (Madras), who assisted in early research on Scorpaenopsis
Scorpaenopsis rubrimarginata Fricke, Durville & Mulochau 2013 ruber, red; marginatus, margined, referring to conspicuous red margin of pectoral fin
Scorpaenopsis venosa (Cuvier 1829) veined; per Cuvier & Valenciennes (1829), “all the skin on its head, between the spines, is veined by small hollow lines which join in all directions, and thus form a network with small irregular meshes, that one would be tempted to take, at first glance, for scales” (translation)
Scorpaenopsis vittapinna Randall & Eschmeyer 2001 vitta, band; pinna, fin, referring to dark transverse band on anal and pelvic fins
Sebastapistes Gill 1877 etymology not explained, perhaps Sebast-, from Sebastichthys (subgenus of Sebastes), previous genus of S. cyanostigma, or referring to sebastid fishes in general; apistes, from apistus, not to be trusted or perfidious, i.e., not a true Sebastichthys or sebastid but “intermediate between the Sebastoid and Scorpaenoid genera”
Sebastapistes aplodactylus (Bleeker1853) [h]aplos, simple; dactylus, finger, referring to undivided (vs. partially divided) rays of pectoral fin [a questionably valid taxon]
Sebastapistes ballieui (Sauvage 1875) in honor of Pierre Étienne Théodore Ballieu (1828-1885), French consul to the Sandwich Islands (Hawai‘i), who provided Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris) with many Hawaiian specimens, including type of this one
Sebastapistes coniorta Jenkins 1903 Latin for dusty, presumably referring to “very small” round dusky spots covering head and spinous dorsal fin
Sebastapistes cyanostigma (Bleeker 1856) cyano-, blue; stigma, mark or spot, referring to pearly or light-blue spots on body
Sebastapistes fowleri (Pietschmann 1934) patronym not identified but clearly in honor of ichthyologist Henry Weed Fowler (1878-1965), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, whose 1928 monograph “Fishes of Oceania” was cited in Pietschmann’s redescription of the species in 1938
Sebastapistes galactacma Jenkins 1903 galactos, Greek for milk; acma, etymology uncertain, perhaps from the Greek akmaios, in full bloom, referring to “head and body covered with thickly-set, minute, bright white points”
Sebastapistes mauritiana (Cuvier 1829) –ana, belonging to: Mauritius, Mascarenes, southwestern Indian Ocean, type locality (occurs in Red Sea and Indo-West Pacific from East Africa, South Africa, Seychelles, Madagascar and Mascarenes east to Wake Atoll and Pitcairn Group, south to New Caledonia and Rapa)
Sebastapistes perplexa Motomura, Aizawa & Endo 2014 Latin for confused, referring to its “confused taxonomic status,” having previously been regarded as juveniles of Scorpaena or Parascorpaena, or as Sebastapistes strongia
Sebastapistes strongia (Cuvier 1829) –ia, belonging to: Strong’s Island (now known as Kosrae), Caroline Islands, Micronesia, type locality (occurs in Red Sea and Indo-West Pacific from East Africa, Aldabra, Madagascar and Mauritius, east to Mariana, Gilbert, Marquesas and Gambier islands, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia and New Caledonia)
Sebastapistes taeniophrys (Fowler1943) taenia, ribbon; phrys, eyebrow, referring to large supraorbital flaps
Sebastapistes tinkhami (Fowler 1946) in honor of Capt. Ernest R. Tinkham, Army of the United States, who made a collection of fishes from off the Ryukyu Islands off Japan, including type of this one; in 1945, Fowler wrote that Tinkham collected fishes “in odd moments of relaxation from his duties with our armed forces”
Taenianotus Lacepède1802 taenia, narrow flat band; notus, back, referring to long dorsal fin, extending from head to tail
Taenianotus triacanthus Lacepède 1802 tri-, three; acanthus, thorn or spine, referring to three preopercular spines (actually, it has only two)
Thysanichthys Jordan & Starks 1904 thysanos, fringe, referring to dermal filaments on head and along lateral line; ichthys, fish
Thysanichthys crossotus Jordan & Starks 1904 fringed, referring to dermal filaments on head and along lateral line
Ursinoscorpaenopsis Nakabo & Yamada 1996 ursine, related to or resembling bears, having a “bear-like” body similar to Scorpaenopsis
Ursinoscorpaenops iskitai Nakabo & Yamada 1996 in honor of Tsugiyoshi Kita of Nagasaki, Japan (no other information available), who collected holotype
Subfamily CARACANTHINAE Coral Crunchers
Caracanthus Krøyer 1845 cara-, head; acanthus, thorn or spine, referring to infraorbital of C. typicus armed with strong spines
Caracanthus maculatus (Gray1831) spotted, referring to yellow-red spots on sides, back and top of head
Caracanthus madagascariensis (Guichenot 1869) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Madagascar, type locality (occurs in western Indian Ocean from Sodwana Bay [South Africa] and East Africa, Madagascar and western Mascarenes east to Maldives and Chagos Archipelago)
Caracanthus typicus Krøyer 1845 typical, serving as type of genus
Caracanthus unipinna (Gray 1831) uni-, one; pinna, fin, referring to confluent dorsal fin, compared with spinous and soft dorsal fins separated at the base as in C. maculatus
Subfamily PTEROINAE Turkeyfishes and Lionfishes
Brachypterois Fowler 1938 brachys, short, i.e., related to Pterois but with shorter dorsal-fin spines
Brachypteroiscurvispina Matsunuma, Sakurai & Motomura 2013 curvus, curved; spina, spine, referring to dorsally curved posterior lacrimal spine present in large adults
Brachypterois serrulata (Richardson 1846) diminutive of serra, saw, i.e., small saw-toothed, referring to “very low, thin, and serrated crests” on head instead of rows of spines as seen on Sebastes (Sebastidae), its presumed genus at the time
Brachypterois serrulifer Fowler 1938 serrula, a little tooth (on a saw); fero, to bear, presumably referring to “serrulate” ridges on head, a feature of the genus
Dendrochirus Swainson 1839 dendro-, branch; cheiros, hand, proposed as a subgenus of Pterois with branched pectoral-fin rays
Subgenus Dendrochirus
Dendrochirus barberi (Steindachner 1900) in honor of Capt. Barber (no other information available), who found holotype in plankton during a trip from Honolulu to Cape Horn (1896-1897)
Dendrochirusbellus (Jordan & Hubbs 1925) beautiful, presumably referring to body and fins “prettily spotted” with brown or black
Dendrochirus brachypterus (Cuvier 1829) brachys, short; pterus, fin, referring to shorter pectoral fins compared with D. zebra (described in same publication)
Dendrochirushemprichi Matsunuma, Motomura & Bogorodsky 2017 in honor of German naturalist and explorer Friedrich W. Hemprich (1796-1825), for his “great” contributions to the zoology of the Red Sea (type locality)
Dendrochirus koyo Matsunuma & Motomura 2019 named for the Kōyo-maru, research vessel of the Tokyo Metropolitan Islands Area Research and Development Center of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, from which holotype was collected
Dendrochirus tuamotuensis Matsunuma & Motomura 2013 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia, South Pacific, only known area of occurrence
Dendrochirus zebra (Cuvier1829) allusion not explained, presumably referring to zebra-like black and white vertical stripes (but on an orange body)
Subgenus Nemapterois Fowler 1938 nema-, thread, referring to “extraordinarily long” preorbital barbel; Pterois, type genus of subfamily
Dendrochirus biocellatus (Fowler 1938) bi-, two; ocellatus, having eye-like spots, referring to two ocelli on posterior soft-dorsal fin
Ebosia Jordan & Starks 1904 latinization of Eboshi, an ancient Japanese helmet or head-dress shaped like the nuchal appendages (parietal crests) of mature males in this genus, hence the vernacular name of Eboshi-Kasago
Ebosia bleekeri (Döderlein 1884) patronym not identified but clearly in honor of Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker (1819-1878)
Ebosia falcata Eschmeyer & Rama-Rao 1978 sickle-shaped, referring to elongated parietal crests of mature males
Ebosia saya Matsunuma & Motomura 2014 named for Saya de Malha Bank, western Indian Ocean, only known area of occurrence
Ebosia vespertina Matsunuma & Motomura 2015 western, the westernmost species in the genus
Parapterois Bleeker 1876 para-, near; Pterois, original genus of P. heterura
Parapterois heterurus (Bleeker 1856) heteros, different; urus, tailed (but consistently treated as a noun by Bleeker, tail), referring to its “very long and flared” (translation) caudal fin, with upper ray produced into a filamentous extension
Parapterois macrura (Alcock 1896) macro-, long or large; oura, tailed, referring to upper caudal-fin ray “produced as a slender filament which is as long as the body behind the eye”
Parapterois nigripinnis (von Bonde 1923) niger, black; pinnis, fin, described as having (in alcohol) black ventral and pectoral fins, a dorsal fin mottled with black, and anal and caudal fins with scattered black dots
Pterois Oken 1817 derived from pterus, fin, based on “Les Pterois” of Cuvier 1816, referring to high dorsal and long pectoral fins
Pterois andover Allen & Erdmann 2008 named for the Andover group of companies, including Andover Leisure, which owns, builds and manages oceanaria and related operations, and is “dedicated to promoting greater public appreciation of the oceans and marine conservation in Asia”; named at the request of Sinduchajana Sulistyo, Andover chairman, who successfully bid to conserve this species at the Blue Auction, a black-tie charity auction in Monaco (20 Sept. 2007) in support of Conservation International’s Bird’s Head Seascape marine conservation initiative
Pterois antennata (Bloch 1787) with antennae, referring to long banded tentacle above each eye
Pterois brevipectoralis (Mandrytsa 2002) brevis, short; pectoralis, pectoral, referring to shorter pectoral fin compared with the similar P. sphex
Pterois cincta Rüppell 1838 belted or encircled, presumably referring to “eight fine milk-white horizontal stripes, some of which bifurcate on the belly and back” (translation)
Pterois lunulata Temminck & Schlegel 1843 somewhat moon shaped, presumably referring to crescent-shaped black spots on pectoral fins
Pterois miles (Bennett 1828) soldier, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to red body color, resembling the uniforms of 19th-century soldier-sailors
Pterois mombasae (Smith 1957) of Mombasa, Kenya, western Indian Ocean, type locality (occurs from East and South Africa, Socotra and Madagascar east to western Indonesia)
Pterois paucispinula Matsunuma & Motomura 2014 paucus, few; spinula, small thorn or spine, referring to small number of spinules on ctenoid scales of head and body compared with the closely related P. mombasae
Pterois radiata Cuvier 1829 radiated or rayed, presumably referring to long pectoral-fin rays, which extend beyond fin membrane
Pterois russelii Bennett 1831 in honor of surgeon-herpetologist Patrick Russell (1726-1805), who illustrated and described (but did not name) this species in 1803 (Bennett, following the lead of Cuvier and Valenciennes, consistently misspelled Russell’s name by omitting an “l”)
Pterois sphex Jordan & Evermann 1903 Greek for wasp, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to wasp-like string it can deliver to predators and humans
Pterois volitans (Linnaeus1758) flying, presumably referring to its large wing-like pectoral fins