Species Scatophagus argus (Linnaeus, 1766)

Museums

Regional Maps

External Links

• Chaetodon argus Linnaeus, C. 1766. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Holmiae [=Stockholm] : Laurentii Salvii, Tomus I. Regnum Animale(1) Editio duodecima, reformata [3 vols., 1766-68], 532 pp. [464].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, whereabouts unknown, India.
• Scatophagus ornatus Cuvier, G.L. in Cuvier, G.L. & Valenciennes, A. 1831. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : Levrault Vol. 7 531 pp. pls 170-208. [143].

  Type data:

   
  Syntype(s) MNHP A-0273 (2), Ambon Island, Molucca Islands, Indonesia; MNHP A-0274 (2), Ambon Island, Molucca Islands, Indonesia.
• Scatophagus argus ocellata Klunzinger, C.B. 1880. Die von Müller'sche Sammlung australischer Fische in Stuttgart. Sitzungsberichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien 80(1): 325-430 pls 1-9 [363].

  Type data:

   Holotype SMNS 2611, Darwin, NT.
• Scatophagus quadratus De Vis, C.W. 1882. Queensland Philosophical Society. Brisbane Courier 1882(3 June): 5 [5] [described subsequently under the name quadranus; placement here based on examination of holotype by J. Johnson of QM].

  Type data:

   Holotype QM I.1847, Cardwell, QLD.
• Scatophagus quadranus De Vis, C.W. 1884. New fishes in the Queensland Museum. No. 2. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 1 9(3): 453-462 [455].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, whereabouts unknown, QLD.

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Parenti, P. 2004. Family Scatophagidae Bleeker 1876. California Academy of Sciences Annotated Checklists of Fishes No. 36: 1–5. [2] (except for Scatophagus quadratus, also Scatophagus aetatevarians is not included here based on information from J. Johnson, in litt)

 

Generic Combinations

• Scatophagus argus (Linnaeus, 1766). —
  Cuvier, G.L. in Cuvier, G.L. & Valenciennes, A. 1831. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : Levrault Vol. 7 531 pp. pls 170-208. [136]
• Prenes ornatus (Cuvier, 1831). —
  Whitley, G.P. 1956. Ichthyological notes. The Australian Zoologist 12(3): 251-261 [252] (changed combination cited; Prenes Gistel, 1848 is an unnecessary replacement name for Scatophagus)

 

Miscellaneous Literature Names

• Scatophagus tetracanthus (Lacépède, 1802). —
  McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part II. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 145–329 [241] (a misidentification)
• Scatophagus chameleon Saville-Kent, 1893 [nomen nudum in Scatophagidae]. —
  McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part II. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 145–329 [242]
• Scatophagus brunneus Saville-Kent, 1893 [nomen nudum in Scatophagidae]. —
  McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part II. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 145–329 [242]

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Port Hedland, WA (20°18'S) to Sydney, NSW (33°53'S); tropical, Indo-west-central Pacific.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

NSW, NT, Qld, WA: Arnhem Coast (ARC), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Central Arnhem (CA), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Darwin Coastal (DAC), Dampierland (DL), Gulf Coastal (GUC), Gulf Plains (GUP), Northern Kimberley (NK), Victoria Bonaparte (VB), Wet Tropics (WT)

IMCRA

Northern Shelf Province (25), Northwest Shelf Transition (26), Northwest Shelf Province (27), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39), Northeast Shelf Province (40), Northeast Shelf Transition (41)

Distribution References

Ecological Descriptors

Estuary, freshwater, inshore, mangrove.

Extra Ecological Information

Usually found in estuaries or marine environments, but sometimes found in freshwater in lower reaches of rivers

 

General References

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. [148]

Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 394 pp. [351]

Allen, G.R., Storey, A.W. & Yarrao, M. 2008. Freshwater Fishes of the Fly River Papua New Guinea. Tabubil, Papua New Guinea : Ok Tedi Mining 216 pp. [187]

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp. [1006]

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls. [96] (608)

Grant, E.M. 1991. Fishes of Australia. Brisbane : EM Grant Pty Ltd 480 pp. [237]

Kottelat, M. 2001. Scatophagidae. pp. 3623-3626 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218. [3625]

Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp. [216]

Kuiter, R.H. & Debelius, H. 2001. Surgeonfishes, Rabbitfishes and Their Relatives. A comprehensive guide to Acanthuroidei. Chorleywood, U.K. : TMC Publishing 208 pp. [205]

Lake, J.S. 1978. Australian Freshwater Fishes. Melbourne : Thomas Nelson 160 pp. 140 figs. [65]

McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part II. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 145–329 [241] (also as Scatophagus tetracanthus, p. 242, as S. brunneus and S. chameleon)

Merrick, J.R. & Schmida, G.E. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes Biology and Management. Sydney : J.R. Merrick 409 pp. figs 280 col. figs. [265]

Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [47] (1304, as Scatophagus ornatus)

 

Common Name References

Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Queensland Government, Co-ordinator General’s Department 640 pp. [348] (Mia-mia)

Kottelat, M. 2001. Scatophagidae. pp. 3623-3626 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218. [3625] (Spotted Scat)

Lake, J.S. 1978. Australian Freshwater Fishes. Melbourne : Thomas Nelson 160 pp. 140 figs. [65] (Spotted Butterfish)

Marshall, T.C. 1964. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coastal Waters of Queensland. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 566 pp. 136 pls. [246] (Spotted Butter-fish)

Merrick, J.R. & Schmida, G.E. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes Biology and Management. Sydney : J.R. Merrick 409 pp. figs 280 col. figs. [265] (Tiger Butterfish, Tiger Scat)

Pollard, J. (ed.) 1980. G.P. Whitley's Handbook of Australian Fishes. North Sydney : Jack Pollard Publishing Pty Ltd 629 pp. [441] (Mia Mia)

Seafood Services Australia 2008. Australian Fish Names Standard. http://www.fishnames.com.au/. (Spotted Scat)

Yearsley, G.K., Last, P.R. & Ward, R.D. (eds) 1999. Australian Seafood Handbook. Hobart : CSIRO Marine Research 460 pp. [59] (Butterfish)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
11-Jun-2013		11-Jun-2013	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)