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Hemigymnus melapterus

Blackedge Thicklip Wrasse

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Blackedge Thicklip Wrasse, Half-and-half Wrasse (juv.), Thick-lip Wrasse, Half-and-half Thicklip, Blackeye Thicklip

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Societies; n. to s.Japan; s. to Lord Howe

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, near-shore, lagoons and outer reef-slope

Enlarged Image of 'Hemigymnus melapterus'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Scientific Taxonomy

Hemigymnus melapterus (Bloch, 1791)
SYNONYMS: Labrus meapterus Block, 1791

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Labroidei; LABRIDAE, Julidini

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Aitutaki fieldspecimen, 2006/09, near Honeymoon islet, Soames Summerhays with ID as Hemigymnus melapterus;

References:
text p.187 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 99gh Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.323 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.450 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 100-02 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 75-12 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 799 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zB06b

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.
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