Key to the species of Trachyscorpia ^ZBK

1a. Dorsal-fin spines usually 12; vertebrae 25; swimbladder absent ........................ subgenus Trachyscorpia 2

1b. Dorsal-fin spines usually 13; vertebrae 26; swimbladder present .......................... subgenus Mesoscorpia ^ZBK 3

2a. Distributed in western Atlantic Ocean ................................... T. (T.) cristulata cristulata (Goode & Bean) A

2b. Distributed in eastern Atlantic Ocean ................................................ T. (T.) cristulata echinata (Koehler) A

3a. Tympanic spines usually absent (at least one side of head); upper-jaw lip poorly developed, premaxillary teeth exposed laterally; scales on lateral surface of maxilla; no blackish saddles on body in preserved specimens; body depth relatively shallow (32-35% of SL); orbit diameter relatively small (12-14% of SL); head profile concave or straight, and eyes oriented dorsolaterally ....................................................... ................................. T. (M.) eschmeyeri Whitley ^ZBK B (southeastern Atlantic and southern Indo -West Pacific)

3b. Tympanic spines always present; upper-jaw lip well developed, covering premaxillary tooth band laterally; no scales on lateral surface of maxilla; 4 blackish saddles on body in preserved specimens; body depth relatively deep (34-42% of SL); orbit diameter relatively large (14-18% of SL); head profile convex, and eyes oriented almost laterally ........................................................................................................ 4

4a. Scale rows in longitudinal series 57-63; second pelvic-fin soft ray relatively short (18-25% SL, mean 20%), shorter than upper-jaw length; first anal-fin spine relatively short (5-8% of SL, mean 6%); pelvicfin spine relatively short (9-16% of SL, mean 13%) ................ T. (M.) carnomagula sp. nov. (Australasia)

4b. Scale rows in longitudinal series 50-53; second pelvic-fin soft ray relatively long (23-29% SL, mean 26%), longer than upper-jaw length; first anal-fin spine relatively long (8-9% of SL, mean 9%); pelvic-fin spine relatively long (15-17% of SL, mean 16%)......................................................................................... ........................................................................ T. (M.) longipedicula sp. nov. (southwestern Indian Ocean)

A Eschmeyer (1969) recognized the two allopatric subspecies in the subgenus Trachyscorpia . However, diagnostic characters separating the two remain unclear (see Discussion).

B T. (M.) eschmeyeri ^ZBK has previously been recognized as T. (M.) capensis .