New Species of Lizardfish Discovered in the Indo-Pacific, Named ‘Iroha-eso’

A research team from the Kagoshima University Museum and the United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences has described a new species of lizardfish from the Indo-Pacific region, including Japan, naming it Synodus autumnus and proposing the new standard Japanese name ‘Iroha-eso’.

The scientific name refers to autumn, while the Japanese name ‘Iroha-eso’ was inspired by the fish’s vivid coloration, which evokes the changing colors of leaves during the fall season.

Synodus autumnus is widely distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region. In Japan, specimens have been collected from Sagami Bay, the Satsuma Peninsula, and Tokunoshima Island. This species inhabits coastal rocky and coral reef areas in warm seas. It is characterized by the presence of a leaf-like flap on the anterior nostril, a series of large red blotches along the back, and a relatively low number of lateral line scales.

The results of this study were published on April 14, 2025, in Biogeography, a journal issued by the Biogeographical Society of Japan. Two specimens identified as Priacanthus alalaua (standard lengths 183.7–204.9 mm) are housed in the Kagoshima University Museum.

[Article] Synodus autumnus, a new species of lizardfish (Aulopiformes, Synodontidae) from the Indo-Pacific region, and a reassessment of distributional records of Synodus rubromarmoratus
[Author(s)] Shintaro Hashimoto and Hiroyuki Motomura
[Journal]ZooKeys, 1243: 191-206
[DOI] https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1243.147259

Related page
　Professor MOTOMURA Hiroyuki , The Kagoshima University Museum

http://www.museum.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/staff/motomura/motomura.html

Fresh specimen photograph of the holotype of Synodus autumnus (Iroha-eso)