抄録
Six specimens of a scorpaenid fish, Scorpaenodes varipinnis (15.9-42.0 mm SL) were captured from the coral reefs of the Ryukyu Islands at depths of 10-20 m. This is the first occurrence of the species from the main Japanese Archipelago, although it has recently been recorded from the Ogasawara Islands. Scorpaenodes varipinnis is distinguished from other scorpaenids by having the following combination of characters: 13 spines and 8 soft rays in dorsal fin, no teeth on palatine, a dark blotch on the posterior area of the dorsal spinous part, and a dark crescent-shaped marking on the basal region of pectoral fin. Six proportional measurements (head length, interorbital width, spinous dorsal fin base length, 11 th and 12th dorsal spine lengths, and 3rd anal spine length) showed allometries. Lateral line scales were incomplete on the caudal peduncle in the smallest three specimens (15.9-19.1 mm SL).
