Flower scorpionfish

In news–A rare, lesser-known fish species(Flower scorpionfish) previously thought to be found in the Pacific Ocean only has been discovered in the Indian Ocean.

About Flower scorpionfish

The flower scorpionfish belongs(Hoplosebastes Armatus) to the order of ray-finned fish that are also known as Scorpaeniforme.
The Hoplosebastes Armatus was discovered in the Pacific Ocean off Japan almost a century ago in 1929.
The species had not been found in the Indian Ocean. That is till two specimens of Hoplosebastes were collected by scientists from the harbour of Digha in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur February 12, 2019.
Two years after that discovery, scientists collected 22 other specimens from the waters off Paradip in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district October 13, 2021.
It was the first sighting of the fish in the Bay of Bengal. Its range now extends from the Northwest Pacific to the Indian Ocean.
The fish which was found in the Indian Ocean has a length ranging from 75-127 mm, while its body width was from 14-22 mm.
The head of the species was comparatively large and greater than the body.
Its colour was faint red.
Hoplosebastes Armatus was earlier reported on the basis of a single old specimen from Japan. It was mentioned in various checklists, with samples collected from the East China Sea or Japan.
The specimen found from the Indian Ocean resembles PJ Schmidt’s specimen that was found in 1929.
But it differs in the presence of tentacles on the head, extensive spots on the fins, scale-less maxilla, number of spines on sub-orbital stray, etc.
It is believed that the rise in the temperature of sea water due to global warming might induce the migration of this species from different regions.