© Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia Full citation Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia: Volume 1 - Bony and Cartilaginous Fishes. Report for the South Australian Working Group for Marine Species of Conservation Concern. J. Baker (consultant); Science and Conservation Division, and Coast and Marine Conservation branches of S.A. Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH); Marine and Coastal Community Network of S.A. (MCCN), and Threatened Species Network (TSN). Web version published by Reef Watch, South Australia.

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Little Gurnard Perch / Little Scorpionfish / Little Scorpion Fish

Family Name:	Neosebastidae
Scientific Name:	Maxillicosta scabriceps Whitley, 1935
Recommended Status in S.A:	Data Deficient
Rationale:  Maxillicosta scabriceps is included here because (i) the species apparently occurs over a limited depth range, on the upper continental shelf (to about 40m deep); (ii) like other members of the Neosebastidae, it is a benthic, site-associated reef fish of limited mobility, and these characteristics increase the species’ vulnerability to site-specific impacts; (iii) the species is part of the bycatch in a number of fisheries, including prawn trawls in S.A.; (iv) populations in some areas may be vulnerable to depletion due to dredging and other physical damage in shallow, soft bottom habitats, but there are no specific data; and (v) there is no knowledge of population sizes or population dynamics, and little information on biology (particularly fecundity, annual recruitment strength, and longevity).

Page Contents

Current Conservation Status

No listings known

Distribution

Southern Australia

The species is common, and ranges from W.A. (see below), through to Victoria (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986; Kuiter, 1996a; Plummer et al., 2003), and Tasmania (Edgar, 2000; Australian Museum, 2006a).
Several specimens collected from central Western Australia, have been identified as M. scabriceps, but they represent a new species, and M. scabriceps might only occur between Victoria and the S.A. / W.A. border / Great Australian Bight (Motomura and McGrouther, in Australian Museum, 2006o).
In Victoria, Corner Inlet is considered to be the eastern edge of the range (O’Hara et al., 2002).

South Australia

The central coast of the Great Australian Bight is considered to be the western limit of the distribution (M. Gomon, Museum of Victoria, pers comm. to R. Foster, S.A. Museum, 2006).
Examples of locations in S.A. in which the Little Scorpion Fish has been recorded include the central Great Australian Bight (e.g. in the Marine Park); eastern Great Australian Bight (e.g. Point Sinclair, Smoky Bay and Streaky Bay area); southern Eyre Peninsula; various locations throughout Spencer Gulf; southern Yorke Peninsula (e.g. Port Giles, Edithburgh, “heel” of Yorke Peninsula, and further south into Investigator Strait); various locations in eastern Gulf St Vincent (GSV) (e.g. Outer Harbour, Glenelg, Marino, Port Noarlunga, Rapid Bay) and western GSV, and northern and north-eastern Kangaroo Island (May and Maxwell, 1986; Carrick, 1997; Edgar, 2000; Anonymous, 2000d; Fairhead et al., 2002a, 2002b; SARDI data, 2002; P. Jennings, SARDI, unpubl. survey data, 2003; K. Smith, unpubl. data, 2003; Tanner, 2004; R. Foster, SAM, pers. comm., 2006; D. Muirhead, MLSSA, pers. comm., 2006; photograph by J. Lewis, 2006; Australian Museum records, Museum of Victoria records, and S.A. Museum records, cited in OZCAM database, 2007).
During a beam trawl survey in the vicinity of the Port Giles Jetty in 2002, 60 specimens of fish reported to be Maxillicosta scabriceps were recorded (Fairhead et al., 2002a).
Kingscote on Kangaroo Island is the type locality (Eschmeyer, 2004).

Habitat

The Little Scorpion Fish occurs in a variety of habitats. It is known from sheltered and moderately exposed sandy bays, near reefs with macroalgae cover (Kuiter, 1996a; Edgar, 2000), and in beds of seagrass, such as Posidonia (Hyndes et al., 2003). M. scabriceps is often recorded inshore, near or among sparse seagrass or rubble, on sand flats (R. Kuiter, pers. comm., cited by Motomura et al. 2006). It has also been recorded under jetties (e.g. K. Smith, unpubl. data, 2003; Museum of Victoria records, cited in OZCAM database, 2005); near artificial reefs (D. Muirhead, pers. comm., 2006); off beaches, in benthic sand habitat (e.g. Hyndes et al., 1999), and in other soft bottom habitats; for example, in metropolitan GSV (e.g. Fairhead et al., 2002b; Tanner, 2004) and Victoria (Museum of Victoria, 2005b).
The species is found in continental shelf waters. In the bays of Victoria, specimens have been taken from as shallow as 1m (Museum of Victoria records, cited in OZCAM database, 2005). Most specimens known are from the range 2m – 45m, but there are trawl records from deeper waters (e.g. 50m, and 136m) (CSIRO Marine Research records, 1981 and 1983, cited in CSIRO, 2006).

Notes on the Biology and Behaviour

The species grows to a maximum length of about 12cm (May and Maxwell, 1986; Hutchins and Swainston, 1986).
Little Scorpion Fish eats benthic organisms, mostly crustaceans (such as small crabs, prawns, mysids and amphipods), but also small quantities of polychaetes and other worms, molluscs and macroalgae (Platell and Potter, 1998, 2001).
Little Scorpion Fish is nocturnal, usually buried in sand during the day, and rarely seen (Kuiter, 1996a), other than occasional sightings at night by divers (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986; Edgar, 2000). Individuals usually emerge at night (Motomura and McGrouther, in Australian Museum, 2006o).

Fisheries Information

Commercial

The species is taken as bycatch by trawlers and scallop dredges in the deeper part of the depth range (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986, 2001; Edgar, 2000). In Tasmania, the species has been reported as part of the bycatch from scallop tows in Bass Strait (Semmens et al., 2000).
In S.A., the species has been reported as a component of bycatch in the Spencer Gulf prawn trawl fishery. For example, 193 Little Scorpionfish were recorded from 32 trawl tows, in a sampling program during the mid 1990s (Carrick, 1997). Richardson (1999) reported Scorpion Fish in the bycatch of prawn trawls in Gulf St Vincent, which likely includes this species. The species is reported to be commonly caught in trawls in South Australia (S. Shepherd, SARDI, pers. comm., 2007).

Recreational

No information on recreational fishing is available for this report. It is noted that in the National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey (Henry and Lyle, 2003, and associated data), results for all species in the Neosebastidae were aggregated, hence it is difficult to determine species-specific catches. Given that the species is small and mostly buried in sand during daylight, it is unlikely to be taken in significant quantities by recreational fishers.

Vulnerable Characteristics of the Species

Like other members of the Scorpaenidae, the Little Scorpion Fish is a benthic, site-associated fish of limited mobility, and these characteristics increase the species’ vulnerability to localised impacts, and to capture by fishing methods such as trawling.
The species apparently occurs over a limited depth range on the upper continental shelf (to about 40m).

Threatening Processes

Bycatch in trawling may be a threatening process to Little Scorpion Fish; however population abundance data are not available, hence the extent to which trawling impacts this species in southern Australia is not currently known.
Given the strong site association and limited dispersal ability of gurnard perches and scorpionfishes, dredging and other physical damage to shallow, soft bottom habitats may adversely affect populations at localised scales.

Research Requirements

More information is required on the distribution and abundance within the range, and the biology and population dynamics of this species (particularly fecundity, annual recruitment strength, and longevity).
Data are required on the numbers taken by commercial and recreational fishers across the range (including South Australia), in relation to required studies of abundance.

Management Requirements

More information is required on the presence of this species in fisheries bycatch, and the potential population impacts of bycatch mortality. Where possible, measures are required to reduce the bycatch of benthic fishes (such as those in Neosebastidae and Scorpaenidae) in Commonwealth- and State-managed trawl fisheries, and also in other fisheries.
Dredging operations in continental shelf waters should be conscious of the presence of site-associated benthic species such as Little Gurnard Perch, and measures to reduce mortality should be undertaken where possible.
In States other than Tasmania (where regulations already exist), recreational fishing regulations (e.g. size limits and bag limits) are recommended to regulate the capture of benthic, site-associated fishes such as members of the Scorpaenidae and Neosebastidae.

Other Information

The Little Gurnard Perch occurs in a number of marine protected areas in Victoria, such as the Corner Inlet Marine National Park (MNP) (Plummer et al., 2003).