First Japanese Record of the Deep-sea Scorpionfish Phenacoscorpius megalops (Teleostei: Scorpaenidae) from Minamidaito Island

Abstract

A single specimen (45.9 mm standard length) of the deep-sea scorpionfish Phenacoscorpius megalops Fowler, 1938 (Teleostei: Scorpaenidae) was collected by ROV (remotely operated vehicle) from within an unidentified colonial sun coral [Dendrophylliidae gen. sp. (Scleractinia)] on a steep sea floor off Minamidaito Island, southern Japan. Phenacoscorpius megalops, characterized by the absence of palatine teeth, an incomplete lateral line, and a dark blotch on the dorsal fin, has been previously recorded from the western and central Pacific, including Vietnam, the South China Sea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vanuatu, the Emperor Seamounts, and the Hawaiian Islands. This is the first record from Japanese waters.