Redescription and Geographic Variations of Pterois antennata and First Record of Pterois paucispinula from French Polynesia (Scorpaenidae: Pteroinae)

Abstract

Pterois antennata (Bloch, 1787) (Scorpaenidae: Pteroinae) was redescribed on the basis of 243 specimens from throughout the Indo-Pacific region, including the lectotype of Scorpaena antennata and holotype of Pterois ellioti Meek, 1897, a junior synonym of the former. The species is diagnosed by the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays usually XII, 11; pectoral-fin rays usually 17; more than ten narrow (but of irregular width) transverse lateral bands on body, including caudal peduncle; pectoral-fin membranes with 3–47 blotches; posterior portion of upper pectoral-fin rays (free of membrane) without bands. Geographic variation in the number of pectoral-fin blotches and ontogenetic morphological changes within P. antennata are also discussed in detail. The first record of Pterois paucispinula Matsunuma and Motomura, 2014 from French Polynesia reported.