Scorpaena jacksoniensis

Eastern Red Scorpionfish | Eatern Red Scorpioncod | Fire Cod | Northern Scorpionfish
Scorpaena jacksoniensis
Scorpaena jacksoniensis, Batemans Bay, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
Scorpaena jacksoniensis
Scorpaena jacksoniensis, Narooma, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
Scorpaena jacksoniensis
Scorpaena jacksoniensis, Port Stephens, NSW, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Scorpaena jacksoniensis
Scorpaena jacksoniensis, Coffs Harbour, NSW, Photo: Ian Shaw
Scorpaena jacksoniensis
Scorpaena jacksoniensis, Solitary Is, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
Scorpaena jacksoniensis
Scorpaena jacksoniensis, Jervis Bay, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
Scorpaena jacksoniensis
Scorpaena jacksoniensis, Moruya, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
Scorpaena jacksoniensis
Scorpaena jacksoniensis, juvenile, Batemans Bay, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
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Scorpaena jacksoniensis
Scorpaena jacksoniensis
Scorpaena jacksoniensis
Scorpaena jacksoniensis
Scorpaena jacksoniensis
Scorpaena jacksoniensis
Scorpaena jacksoniensis
Scorpaena jacksoniensis

Distribution

Temperate Australasia, Tropical Indo-Pacific


Description

Numerous skin flaps on the head and body - usually small, but some individuals have extreme 'growths'. May have large light patch across head behind eyes and/or light bands on the body. Restricted to temperate and subtropical eastern Australian mainland. Distribution overlaps with very similar species S. papillosa. The latter has a more pronounced network of darker scale edges on the body, and fewer (sometimes no) skin flaps on the body. S. jacksoniensis adults seen by divers are larger, bolder and exhibit less cryptic behaviour. Formerly known as S. cardinalis, which is now used for the species found at Tasman Sea islands and New Zealand.


Information

Max Size: 30 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 15.6-24.6°C

Depth: 1-73m

Habitat Generalization Index: N/A

Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.


Conservation and Rarity

IUCN Status: Not Evaluated

Occurrence: Common (37.9% of sites)

Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed

Abundance: Few (2 per transect)

Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.


Edit by: RD Stuart-Smith, GJ Edgar, AJ Green, IV Shaw. 2015. Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland