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Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos

Mangō Pāpera

Grey Reef-Shark

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Image:	Adult	12KB
Video:	Suwarrow, © G.Wragg	781KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Grey Reef-Shark, Long-nosed Blacktail Shark; German Grauer Riffhai; French Requin Dagsit, Requin Gris

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Mangō Pāpera (RR MG AT MK MT AK), Papera (PL), Pāpela (TS), Pāpera (TW MH), Tātela / Pāpela (PK); Other Polynesian - Mao Raira / Mago kiriiaura (MVA)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Madagascar - Easter, Hawai‘i; n. Taiwan; s. to Norfolk

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; This well known shark is common in the N.Group, but rare in the S.Group. PLUS:; Marine, near-shore, Open lagoons and outer slope

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Injurous bite - serious

KEY FEATURES: To 2.3m TL.(RM91) [ 2.5cm - GBR]

Enlarged Image of 'Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos (Bleeker, 1856)
SYNONYMS: Carcharias amblyrhynchos [O]; Carcharhinus menisorrah [mistaken]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; CHONDRICHTHYES; Carcharhiniformes; CARCHARHINIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Cooks: listed (Johnson78). Palmerston: Photo02 (G&S85) . Tongareva: Deepsea-handline 17 specimens T&P85. Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004. Suwarrow: Photo (G&S85) .

References:
text p.34 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 7e Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.18 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.40 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 2-02 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 2-03 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM05a, 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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