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Anguilla marmorata

Tuna Pupu

Giant Longfin Eel

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Giant Longfin Eel, Giant Mottled Eel, Marbled Eel

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tuna Pupu / Purepure (RR), Tuna Purepure (MG), Tuna Kōpurepure (MK), Tuna Kōpatapata [?ID] (AK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Tuamotus; n. to s.Japan; s. to New Caledonia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Migrant, Non-breeder; Native, S.Group only, but breeds elsewhere in open ocean. PLUS:; Freshwater, lowland streams, breed at sea

KEY FEATURES: Eel, usually to 100cm (rarely to 150cm). COLOUR brown with dark and pale mottling. DORSAL origin is ~midway between the Pectorals and anus, or easier to see in live animal, Pectorals-Dorsal origin = 1xSnout-Pectorals. TEETH maxilla has 2-3 rows with a distinctive longitudinal groove.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Pacific Longfin Eel (Anguilla megastoma) colour and dorsal origin similar, but has uniform maxilla teeth (vs rows separated by a groove).

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
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

Anguilla marmorata Quoy & Gaimard, 1824
SYNONYMS: Anguilla mauritiana (Bennett, 1831)

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Anguilliformes; Anguilloidei; ANGUILLIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen 1990 Turangi water intake 70m asl 650mm, Water Works Staff, ID GMc confirmed P.Castle.

References:
Species No. 126 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD05b

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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