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Heterocentrotus trigonarius

Tētē (MH)

Purple Pencil-urchin

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Image:	Adult, Guam	50KB
Image:	Adult, Guam	61KB
Image:	Urchin (B&W illustration)	60KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Purple Pencil-urchin

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Hetuke (TS TW), Tētē (MH), Wetuke (PK NS)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group - abs or v.rare; N.Group - common; Marine, near-shore, outer reef-slope, shallow

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food

KEY FEATURES: Uniformly dark blue-violet with thick tapering spines to about 7cm, can reach 30cm spinetip to spinetip. The primary spines vary from round to triangular.

Enlarged Image of 'Heterocentrotus trigonarius'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: ? Makatea: -
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
-	-	-	-	-			-

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

Heterocentrotus trigonarius (Lmaarck, 1816)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ECHINODERMATA; ELEUTHEROZOA; ECHINOIDEA; REGULARIA; Camorodonta; ECHINOMETRIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Food. Comments: Considered the most edible urchin (PN)

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: check this species, G.McCormack 3/2005.

References:
None recorded.

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