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Acanthocybium solandri

Pāra

Wahoo

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Wahoo, Narrow-barred Spanish Mackerel; French Thazard-bâtard

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Pāra (RR AK TW), Kaku (MG AT MK MT), Pa‘ara (PL), Pāla (TS PK); Other Polynesian - Paere (TAH), Roroa (TM, MQ, GM), ‘Ono (HAW); COMMENT: Pāra with macron, or Paara without macron. [Pā‘ara is "to slice off" or "a row of ‘ara".]

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE circumtropical - subtropics.

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group and N.Group. PLUS:; Marine, pelagic 0-250m, deep reef-slope 100m+; Usually solitary or in small loose groups.

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Prized food

KEY FEATURES: To 2m & 70kg. Body fusiform, very elongate and slightly compressed, with small scales. Blue above, silvery below; 24-30 dark-blue bars, some double or Y-shaped. Lateral line straight posteriorly. Scales small. 1st Dorsal (23-27 spines) ± uniformly high. 2nd Dorsal & Anal fins equal, finlets 8-9.

Enlarged Image of 'Acanthocybium solandri'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
+			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

Acanthocybium solandri (Cuvier, 1832)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Scombroidei; SCOMBRIDAE, Scomberomorini

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Prized food. Comments: In 1995 Wahoo made up about 1% (3 mt) of the oceanic fisheries catch.

GENERAL NOTE: Early European explorers in Hawai‘i found this fish common around the island of Oahu which they usually wrote as Wahoo. Its Hawai‘i name is ‘Ono.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mangaia: Photo Sue Ngatokorua, 9/2000, ID GMcC. Aitutaki: field sightings several 25-35kg at FAD ID N.Sims (Sims88). Palmerston: Listed (Preston95). Tongareva: listed in T&P85. Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Acanthocybium solandri. Suwarrow: field ID N.Sims (Sims EIA99).

References:
Special Reference: Collette, B.B. & C.E. Nauen, FAO species catalogue. Vol. 2. Scombrids of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of tunas, mackerels, bonitos and related species known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. (125)Vol.2:25.

p.447 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.602 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 97-01 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 337 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

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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