Family NEOSEBASTIDAE

Neosebastidae

© Copyright from McCulloch 1915.

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Introduction

The family Neosebastidae includes two genera and 18 species (Eschmeyer & Fong, 2014). Previously the group had been treated as a subfamily of the Scorpaenidae (Nelson, 2006). Both genera and 14 species are known in Australia, largely in temperate waters. Most species are found in the waters of the south-west Pacific, but two species are known from the north-west Pacific and another from Chile. Eschmeyer & Poss (1976) revised Maxillicosta and Motomura (2004) revised Neosebastes. Motomura et al. (2006) described a new Australian species of Maxillicosta, and Johnson & Motomura (2008) treated species found in southern Australia.

Neosebastids are found in a variety of habitats from inshore rocky reefs to the deeper parts of the continental shelf and upper continental slope. Maximum size is around 40 cm.

General References

Eschmeyer, W.N. & Fong, J.D. 2014. Species of Fishes by family/subfamily. Catalog of Fishes. Online version updated 19 May 2014. http://research.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/SpeciesByFamily.asp

Eschmeyer, W.N. & Poss, S.G. 1976. Review of the scorpionfish genus Maxillicosta (Pisces : Scorpaenidae), with a description of three new species from the Australian-New Zealand region. Bulletin of Marine Science 26(4): 433-449 figs 1-10

Johnson, J.W. & Motomura, H. 2008. Family Neosebastidae. pp. 489-495 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.

McCulloch, A.R. 1915. Report on some fishes obtained by the F.I.S. Endeavour on the coasts of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South and South-Western Australia. Part 3. Biological Results of the Fishing Experiments carried on by the F.I.S. Endeavour 1909-1914 3(3): 97-170 figs 1-3 pls 13-37

Motomura, H. 2004. Revision of the scorpionfish genus Neosebastes (Scorpaeniformes: Neosebastidae), with descriptions of five new species. Indo-Pacific Fishes 37: 1-76

Motomura, H., Last, P.R. & Gomon, M.F. 2006. A new species of the scorpionfish Genus Maxillicosta from the southeast coast of Australia, with a redescription of M. whitleyi (Scorpaeniformes: Neosebastidae). Copeia 2006(3): 445-459

Nelson, J.S. 2006. Fishes of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 601 pp.

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