Ursinoscorpaenopsis

Ursinoscorpaenopsis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Scorpaenidae
Subfamily:	Scorpaeninae
Tribe:	Scorpaenini
Genus:	Ursinoscorpaenopsis Nakabo & Yamada, 1996
Species:	U. kitai
Binomial name
Ursinoscorpaenopsis kitai Nakabo & Yamada, 1996

Ursinoscorpaenopsis is a monotypic genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. Its only species, Ursinoscorpaenopsis kitai, is native to the Pacific Ocean waters around Japan. This species grows to a length of 24 cm (9.4 in).[1]

Ursinoscorpaenopsis kitai was first formally described in 1996 by Tetsuji Nakabo and Umeyoshi Yamada and is known only from its type, which was collected in the East China Sea from a depth of 138 m (453 ft).[2] The genus name Ursinoscorpaeanopsis refers to its "bearlike shape" and is similar to Scorpaenopsis. The specific name honours the collector of the type Tsugiyoshi Kita of Nagasaki.[3]

The genus Ursinoscorpaenopsis differs from other scorpionfish genera by having a paranuchal spine, a supplemental spine on the last suborbital spine and non-fleshy, branched fin rays in the pectoral fin rays. It also has an orange-reddish body, lacks any teeth on the palatine, has a swimbladder, and possesses a supraneural and 5 unfused hypurals. This genus appears to be one of the more basal genera in the family Scorpaenidae.[4]

References

1. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ursinoscorpaenopsis kitae". FishBase. August 2021Ursinoscorpaenopsis version.
2. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Ursinoscorpaenopsis". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
3. Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (2 October 2021). "Order Perciformes (Part 9): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Family Scorpaenidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
4. Nakabo, T. & U. Yamada (1996). "Ursinoscorpaenopsis kitai, a new genus and species of Scorpaenidae from the East China Sea". Ichthyological Research. 43 (2): 141–145. Bibcode:1996IchtR..43..141N. doi:10.1007/BF02348237.