Scorpaena dabryi, a Junior Synonym of Scorpaena miostoma, with Notes on Morphological Ontogenetic Changes (Teleostei: Scorpaenidae)

Abstract

Although Scorpaena dabryi Sauvage, 1878, originally described on the basis of two specimens from China, has recently been regarded as a senior synonym of Neomerinthe procurva Chen, 1981, examination of the specimens (herein designated as lectotype of S. dabryi) showed them to be consistent with the holotype and non-type specimens of S. miostoma Günther, 1877. Accordingly, S. dabryi is regarded as a junior synonym of S. miostoma. Morphological ontogenetic changes of some body proportions in S. miostoma are also described.