Posted 14 January 2004 - 12:41 PM
This species looks very similar to a New South Wales (Australia) scorpaenid, the pygmy scorpion cod (Scorpaenoides scaber - family Scorpaenidae, name from memory). Ours even has the band behind the head area, but does not possess the vibrant colors on the pectoral fins.
We do have a lot of similar looking species in Oz and NZ due to our geographical region. You could e-mail your image to Mark McGrouther at the Australian museum and he may be able to give you the heads up. If not, at least he may refer you to one of his NZ colleagues.
markm@austmus.gov.au
Cheers