Parapterois macrura
Parapterois macrura is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the western Indian Ocean.
Taxonomy
Parapterois macrura was first formally described as Pterois macrura in 1896 by the English naturalist Alfred William Alcock with the type locality given as the Malabar Coast off Calicut. The specific name macrura means "large tail", an allusion to the filamentous extension of the upper caudal fin ray, which is as long as the body from the eye back.Description
Parapterois macrura generally grows to a length of.P. macrura and P. heterura differ in that P. heterura has scales in a pit between the posterior nostrils while P. macrura does not. These species do not differ much in fin spine, fin ray, gill raker counts, and most body proportions. Their differences lie in a small difference in head proportions. Also, in adults, the upper margin of the eye of P. heterura is below the base of the first dorsal fin spine, while it is above in P. macrura.