[3] The specimen was part of an extensive collection of flora and fauna assembled by Heinrich Kuhl and Johan Conrad van Hasselt, who are sometimes given as the authors of the species description.

[5] The specific epithet picta means "painted", a name provided by the collectors which Cuvier conserved, and which refers to the marbled pattern which is similar to other species of Scorpaena.

[2] Parascorpaena picta occurs in the shallow and sheltered waters of rocky bays and reef systems in the eastern Indian and western Pacific region.

The range extends to northern coasts and islands of Australia, from Exmouth in the west to Moreton Bay in Queensland.

[2] it occurs on coral and rocky reefs in shallow waters, it is also found in silty habitats in sheltered bays.