Liocranium praepositum Ogilby, 1903
Blackspot waspfish
photo by Gloerfelt-Tarp, T.

Family:  Tetrarogidae (Wasp fishes)
Max. size:  13 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; marine; depth range 12 - 65 m
Distribution:  Western Pacific: Queensland, Australia.
Diagnosis:  This species of waspfish has the following characters: gill rakers 12-15 (mode 13); posterior tip of depressed pelvic-fin spine usually not reaching anus; relatively long upper-jaw, its length 16.5-20.1% of SL, mean 18.6%; relatively deep maxilla, its depth 5.8-7.6% of SL, mean 6.4%; longest anal-fin soft ray is relatively short, 21.5-25.9% of SL, mean 24.6%; a large first blotch, narrow and vertically oriented (mean width 12.9% of SL, mean height 24.6% of SL), lateral line running through middle of blotch; relatively large second blotch (mean width 9.6% of SL, mean height 7.9% of SL), located at base of first dorsal-fin soft ray and upper part of blotch extending onto fin membrane; usually with a third blotch on lateral line below soft-rayed portion of dorsal fin; sometimes the second and third blotches are merged together (Ref. 77064).
Biology:  Little is known of the species' biology, taken in trawls (Ref. 39597).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 29 November 2023 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  venomous


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.