Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Acanthaster planci

Taramea

Crown-of-Thorns

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult, Guam	64KB
Image:	Adult, Rarotonga	65KB
Image:	Adult, Cook Islands	89KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Crown-of-Thorns

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Taramea (RR MG AT MK MT AK PL MH RK), Talahua / Talamea (TS), Tarahua / Talamea (TW), Talamea (PK NS)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, near-shore

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine; Invasive - serious, Poisonous spines - serious

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

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

Acanthaster planci (Linnaeus, 17xxx)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ECHINODERMATA; ELEUTHEROZOA; STELLEROIDEA; ASTEROIDEA; Forcipulata; ACANTHASTERIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Medicine
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Invasive - serious, Poisonous spines - serious. Comments: NBSAP - Te Au-o-Tonga (2 of 11 animal pests), NBSAP - Takitumu (6 of 9 animal pests), NBSAP - Aitutaki (9 of 10 animal pests)

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mangaia: specimen, College, 9/2000, ID GMcC. Atiu: field-specimen, College collection, 10/2000, ID GMcC. Pukapuka: informant report, 2/2004, to G.McCormack with ID as Acanthaster planci.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02

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