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Chaetodon auriga

Taputapu Rengarenga

Threadfin Butterflyfish

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult (Rarotonga)	24KB
Image:	Adult (Rarotonga)	24KB
Video:	on Rarotonga (© Karl Traylor)	505KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Threadfin Butterflyfish, Auriga Butterflyfish, Threadfin, Diagonal Butterflyfish, Cross-stripe Butterflyfish; German Fähnchen-Falterfisch; French Chaetodon Cocher

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Taputapu Rengarenga (RR), Ti‘iti‘i (MG), Taputapu (AT MK MT AK PL), Tītī (TS TW), Tihitihi Tarakura (MH), Tihitihi (RK), Tiwitiwi (PK NS); Other Polynesian - Paraharaha (TAH)

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

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group - common; N.Group - common; Marine, near-shore

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Not targeted. Rarely eaten.

KEY FEATURES: To 25cm SL.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Chaetodon auriga Forsskål, 1775
SYNONYMS: Anisochaetodon auriga; Tetragonoptrus auriga; Sarothrodus auriga; Linophora auriga

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Percoidei; Percoidea; CHAETODONTIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Aitutaki: field-specimen, NBSAP School, 12/2000, ID GM; fieldsight, lagoon, 12/2000, GMcC. Palmerston: Photo25 (G&S85); Listed (Preston95). Manihiki: A687h-1specimen, A770-2,A958-1 (B&M74). Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Chaetodon auriga. Suwarrow: Photo25 (G&S85).

References:
text p.153 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 62a Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.221 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.345 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 57-08 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 55-05 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 700 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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