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Trochus (Tectus) niloticus

Torōkati

Commercial Trochus

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Sack of poached trochus, Helen Reef	59KB
Image:	Shellfish on rubble, Guam	59KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Commercial Trochus

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Torōkati (MG MT AK), Trochus (MK), Tolōkasi (TS), Torōkasi (TW)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, near-shore, reef moat

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food (2+), Material

Enlarged Image of 'Trochus (Tectus) niloticus'

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

Trochus (Tectus) niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758)
SYNONYMS: [Introduced to Aitutaki (1950's) and to various other islands (1980's). Harvested commercially.]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; MOLLUSCA; GASTROPODA; PROSOBRANCHIA; Archaeogastropoda; Trochacea; TROCHIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Cooks: Morgan 831-832,503. Mangaia: specimen Sue Ngatokorua, 9/2000, ID GMcC. Aitutaki: field-specimen, NBSAP School, 12/2000, ID GM. Takutea: reported introduced 1997, 200 shells, MMR, Ponia et.al. (1998) Takutea Reef Resources Baseline Assessment. Suwarrow: fieldspecimen, during introduction by MMR, 10/1985, G.McCormack.

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.
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