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Acanthurus blochii

Maito Parangi

Ringtail Surgeonfish

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Image:	Marshalls - at night, 32cm TL	60KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Ringtail Surgeonfish, Tailring Surgeonfish, Whitetail Lancet; German Ringschwanz-Doktorfish; French Chirurgien à Anneau Blanc

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Maito Parangi (RR), Parangi (MG TW), Maito (AT MT), ‘A‘ari (AK), Palangi (PL TS), Pararo? Paparangi? (MH), Mā / Mā < Palangi (PK); Other Polynesian - Parai Oturi (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Societies, Hawai‘i; n. to s.Japan; s. to Lord Howe

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group and N.Group. Uncommon. PLUS:; Marine, near-shore

KEY FEATURES: (from Cooks photo): tail very bright blue back-half, pale stripe (reflective) visible at base of dorsal.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Acanthurus mata

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
			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

Acanthurus blochii Valenciennes, 1835
SYNONYMS: Acanthurus mata [of authors incl. Preston95]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Acanthuroidei; ACANTHURIDAE, Acanthurinae

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: field specimen ID N.Sims (Sims88). Palmerston: Listed as Acanthurus mata (Preston95), reassigned J.E.Randall as Acanthurus blochii (Sims88). Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004.

References:
text p.244 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 125c Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.421 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.582 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 125-09 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 95-05 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....

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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