Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Arothron stellatus

‘Ue

Star Puffer

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Video:	on Rarotonga (© Karl Traylor)	341KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Star Puffer, Star Pufferfish, Starry Pufferfish, Starry Toadfish

TRADITIONAL NAMES: ‘Ue (RR)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Africa - Tuamotu; n. to s.Japan; s. to n.NZ.

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group - rare; N.Group - ?; Marine, near-shore, outer reef-slope, over sand, 3-60m

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Poisonous to eat - serious

KEY FEATURES: To 90cmSL. Cream and pale brown with dark brown close-packed spots on body, except the underside, and on fins and tail. Spots smaller and more numerous with age. Lower lip black. Juvenile orange with small black spots.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group:
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

Pests & Hosts

View as a Search List
Relationship	Hosts
Toxic - serious	Homo sapiens,

Scientific Taxonomy

Arothron stellatus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Tetraodontiformes; Tetraodontoidei; Tetraodontoidea; TETRAODONTIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: fieldvideo, 2004, Karl Traylor, ID G.McCormack as Arothron stellatus 9/2004.

References:
text p.266 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 142ef Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.474 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.647 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 138-01 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 103-15 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 1036 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zB04b

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