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Gonodactylus platysoma

Veri Tara (AT)

Blue-spot Mantis-Shrimp

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Blue-spot Mantis-Shrimp, Blue-spot Smasher

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Varo (MG MK), Veritara (AT)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, near-shore, RF, RR

KEY FEATURES: To 10cm, cream with green latticed-pattern. Has a large blue spot, on each side, of the third and last abdominal segments. Antennae are green with white specks.

SIMILAR SPECIES: See under Gonodactylus chiragra.

Enlarged Image of 'Gonodactylus platysoma'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Gonodactylus platysoma (Wood-Mason, 1895)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; CRUSTACEA; MALACOSTRACA; EUMALACOSTRACA; Hoplocarida; Stomatopoda; GONODACTYLIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mangaia: specimen Sue Ngatokorua, 9/2000, ID GMcC. Mauke: field-specimen, College collection, 3/2001, ID GMcC.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM05b, 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.
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