Golden Scorpionfish

Parascorpaena aurita, commonly known as the golden scorpionfish or byno scorpionfish, is a marine ray-finned fish within the family Scorpaenidae, often referred to as scorpionfishes. This species is indigenous to the 🌊 Indian Ocean and the western 🌊 Pacific Ocean.

The species was originally described as Scorpaena aurita by the German naturalist and explorer Eduard Rüppell, with its type locality identified as Massawa in 🇪🇷 Eritrea. The specific epithet "aurita" translates to "eared," referencing the posterior extension of the gill cover, which forms a rounded lobe reminiscent of an ear.

The coloration of Parascorpaena aurita is highly variable, predominantly exhibiting brownish or greyish tones interspersed with irregular blotches in shades of blackish, reddish, yellowish-brown, or white. The underside of the head features a white base marked with brownish or reddish blotches. The dorsal fin's spiny section is notably variegated, although it lacks distinct black blotches in either gender. The soft-rayed portion of the dorsal fin is translucent white and contains four indistinct dark blotches. The lower section of the pectoral fin is white with non-distinct reddish-brown spots. The pelvic fin base is white, transitioning to a reddish-brown or brown at the distal segment. The anal fin appears whitish, adorned with three to four reddish-brown diagonal bands. The caudal fin exhibits a translucent white appearance, intersected by three brownish or greyish vertical bands. The dorsal fin comprises 12 spines and 8–9, typically 9, soft rays, whereas the anal fin consists of 3 spines and 5 soft rays. The pectoral fin contains 16–18, usually 17, soft rays, and the caudal fin has 11–12 branched rays. The maximum total length for this species reaches 15 cm (5.9 in). Although similar to the Northern scorpionfish (Parascorpaena picta), the golden scorpionfish can be distinguished by its well-developed interorbital ridges, which encompass a depression, and its pronounced occipital depression.

Parascorpaena aurita is distributed throughout the 🌊 Indian Ocean, ranging from the 🌊 Red Sea and the coast of East Africa, including 🇰🇪 Kenya and Tanzania, to 🇲🇬 Madagascar and the 🇸🇨 Seychelles, extending through the eastern Andaman Sea, 🇮🇩 Indonesia, Papua 🇵🇬 New Guinea, and the 🇵🇭 Philippines, northward to 🇯🇵 Japan, southward to 🇦🇺 Australia, and eastward to the 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands. In 🇦🇺 Australia, its range extends from Shark Bay in Western Australia to One Tree Island in Queensland, with sightings also reported at Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. This species typically inhabits weedy, coral, rocky, and rubble areas on reef flats or slopes, often positioning itself on smaller coral blocks. It resides in shallow waters at depths ranging from 3 to 15 m (9.8 to 49.2 ft).

Parascorpaena aurita functions as a camouflaged ambush predator in its natural habitat.