Fauna of Lionfishes of the Genus Dendrochirus (Scorpaenidae, Pteroinae) on Coral Reefs of Nha Trang Bay (South China Sea, Central Vietnam)

Аннотация

The species composition of the genus Dendrochirus on coral reefs of Nha Trang Bay is described. The genus is represented by three species—D. bellus, D. biocellatus, and D. zebra—and D. biocellatus is indicated for Nha Trang Bay and coastal waters of Vietnam for the first time. The biogeographical ranges, including the ranges within the coastal waters of Vietnam, and the depths of occurrence of the fish on the reefs of the bay are given for each species. D. bellus is found most often on sandy-gravel, sandy, and sandy-silty grounds at the depths between 15 and 40 m. The representatives of this species rarely enter the reefs, and only one case of the presence of three individuals on the reef at a depth of 6 m is registered. D. biocellatus is observed only two times on the reefs of two islands at the depths of 4.5 and 16.0 m. D. zebra is the most widely distributed and common species of the genus Dendrochirus on the reefs and rocky grounds of the bay found at the depths between 1 and 35 m. The species composition of the genus Dendrochirus in Nha Trang Bay is compared with the faunas of this group in the waters of Taiwan, Philippines, and Indonesia.