FIRST RECORD OF A RARE SCORPIONFISH SCORPAENOPSIS ORIENTALIS (ACTINOPTERYGII: SCORPAENIFORMES: SCORPAENIDAE) FROM TAIWAN

Twenty-eight species of the genus Scorpaenopsis (Scorpaenidae) have been recognized as valid in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, and 11 species of which having been recorded from Taiwan. Scorpaenopsis orientalis Randall et Eschmeyer, 2002 was originally described on the basis of type specimens collected from Miyazaki, and the Ogasawara Islands in Japan, and subsequently reported from Iou-jima Island. A single specimen (189.0 mm standard length) of Scorpaenopsis orientalis was collected from southern Taiwan in 2018. The morphology and fresh coloration of the collected specimen are herein described. The majority of the morphological characters of the specimen closely matched the diagnostic features of Scorpaenopsis orientalis given by the previous authors. The specimen from southwestern Taiwan is identified as Scorpaenopsis orientalis. The presently reported specimen represents the southernmost record for the species as well as the first record for Taiwan. This study suggests that S. orientalis may widely distributed in East Asian warm waters.