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Aluterus scriptus

Kalevaleva (MG)

Scribbled Filefish

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Scribbled Filefish, Scrawled Leatherjacket, Scrawled Filefish, Figured Leatherjacket, Broomtail Filefish; German Schrift-Feilenfisch; French Poisson-lime Gribouillé, Bourse-écriture

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Karevareva (MG TW), Kōkiri Pareva (AT), Pareva (MT), Pēueue (AK), Kalevaleva (TS), Kālevaleva (PK); Other Polynesian - Pareva (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE circumtropical incl. e.Africa - Tuamotus, Hawai‘i - tropical America; n. to s.Japan; s. to New Caledonia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group and N.Group. PLUS: Informants (MG & PK), photo PK 15m (Sims); Marine, near-shore

KEY FEATURES: Not eaten on Pukapuka (Sims88).

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: Present
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

Aluterus scriptus (Osbeck, 1765)
SYNONYMS: Alutera scripta [alternate valid spelling]; Balistes scriptus [O]; Monacanthus scriptus; Osbeckia scripta

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Tetraodontiformes; Tetraodontoidei; Balistoidea; MONACANTHIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Palmerston: Listed (Preston95). Pukapuka: Photo 1x50cm TL, mid-water in 15m depth w.reef drop-off, residents report common, ID N.Sims (Sims88).

References:
text p.261 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 138e Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.461 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.630 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 134-01 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 102-02 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 1063 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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