Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Epinephelus morrhua

Punga (PN)

Comet Grouper

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult (Maldives)	47KB
Image:	Adult (Penrhyn)	141KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Comet Grouper, Blue Grouper, Comet Grouper, Snakeskin Sea-Bass; French Mérou Comète

TRADITIONAL NAMES: ‘Āpuka? / Mataroa? (PL), Punga (TS TW)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Tuamotu; n. to s.Japan; s. to New Caledonia.

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group and N.Group - RR, TN.; Marine, near-shore, deepbottom, 80-350m

KEY FEATURES: To 60cm. Thickset (depth 3x in SL); fins and tail rounded; lower teeth in two rows. Pale brown with long-curved brown bands ending in dorsal expansion, with 2 intermediate bands of simple spots. Fins uniform brown; Pectorals yellow.

SIMILAR SPECIES: See Reticulate Grouper (Epinephelus tuamotuensis).

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+TP

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
++

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Epinephelus morrhua (Valenciennes, 1833)
SYNONYMS: Serranus morrhua [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Percoidei; Percoidea; SERRANIDAE, Epinephelinae

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Cooks: Heemstra & Randall 1993, FAO Fish. Synops. #125, Vol.16. Rarotonga: 3 specimens (T&P85), RUSI12912. Tongareva: 57 specimens (T&P85), photo in this DB.

References:
Special Reference: Heemstra & Randall 1993, FAO Fish. Synops. #125, Vol.16:196-8, plate XIX-B.

text p.103 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.505 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
plate 25/8 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....

Data Update History (information):
zTXmx, zB02, zM04b, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List