Scorpaenopsis gigas, King scorpionfish

Scorpaenopsis gigas Matsumoto & Motomura, 2025

King scorpionfish
Upload your photos and videos
 Pictures | Google image
Image of Scorpaenopsis gigas (King scorpionfish)
Scorpaenopsis gigas
Picture by Matsumoto, T. & Motomura, H.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Perciformes/Scorpaenoidei (Scorpionfishes) > Scorpaenidae (Scorpionfishes or rockfishes) > Scorpaeninae
Etymology: Scorpaenopsis: Latin, scorpaena = a kind of fish, 1706 + Greek, opsis = appearance (Ref. 45335); gigas: Name from Latin 'gigas' meaning 'giant', referring to the considerable body size of the new species, one of the largest in the genus.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated. Subtropical

Distribution Territories | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-West Pacific: Japan, eastern Taiwan and western Thailand (Andaman Sea),

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 30.7 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 137550)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 5; Vertebrae: 24. This species is distinguished by the following set of characters: pectoral-fin rays 19-20 (usually 19), some middle rays are branched; scale rows in longitudinal series 54-60; pored lateral-line scales 24-25 (24); occiput nearly flat, no distinct occipital pit; no longitudinal ridge on lateral surface of maxilla; lateral lacrimal spine, posterior lacrimal spine, and upper opercular spine are simple; no scales on opercle between upper and lower opercular spines; first dorsal-fin spine length, 4.6-7.8% of SL; second dorsal-fin spine length 10.9-16.3% of SL; third dorsal-fin spine length 14.4-19.1% of SL; snout length 31.8-35.5% of HL; third or fourth dorsal-fin spine longest (both spines of similar length, third dorsal-fin spine length, 97.6-105.6% of fourth spine length); head and body usually with small black blotches scattered when fresh and preserved (Ref. 137550).
Body shape (shape guide): short and / or deep; Cross section: compressed.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Matsumoto, T. and H. Motomura, 2025. Scorpaenopsis gigas, a new Indo-West Pacific species of scorpionfish (Scorpaenidae). Ichthyol. Res. (2025):1-13. (Ref. 137550)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)

Not Evaluated 

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
Territories
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Genetics
Genome
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability
Genetic Diversity
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Collaborators
Taxonomy
Common names
Synonyms
Morphology
Morphometrics
Pictures
References
References

Tools

E-book | Field guide | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Catch-MSY |

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | National databases | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search |