Pterois brevipectoralis

Pterois brevipectoralis is a marine ray-finned fish in the scorpionfish and lionfish family Scorpaenidae. It lives in the Western Indian Ocean at depths of 70 to 80 meters (230 to 260 feet). Its short pectoral fins set it apart from similar species. Russian zoologist Sergey Anatolyevich Mandritsa first described this species in 2002 as *Pteropterus brevipectoralis*, based on a specimen from the Saya de Malha Bank in the Indian Ocean. In 2023, it was moved back into the revalidated genus *Pteropterus*. The name *brevipectoralis* means "short pectoral," referring to its shorter pectoral fins compared to *P. sphex*. The dorsal fin has 13 spines and 10 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 6 soft rays. The pectoral fin has 16 rays (sometimes 15), which are short and do not reach past the rear base of the dorsal fin. The longest dorsal spine is longer than the body’s depth; the body is moderately compressed and oblong. The head and body are white, darkening to pink on the back. The jaws and the skin flap on the tip of the lacrimal spine are pinkish. A reddish band runs through the eye to the upper rear corner of the preoperculum. There is a reddish saddle-like mark on the nape, and many slender reddish bands on the body. The median fin membranes are translucent, with each dorsal spine having two or three reddish bands. The soft-rayed parts of the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins have black dots. The pectoral fin is dark red, with large black blotches on the membrane and a thin blackish band along its edge. This little-known species has been recorded around the Mascarene Islands and the Saya de Malha Bank in the Western Indian Ocean, at depths between 70 and 80 meters.