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Chaetodon unimaculatus

Taputapu

Teardrop Butterflyfish

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Image:	Adult (Rarotonga)	27KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Teardrop Butterflyfish, One-spot Butterflyfish; German Tränen-Falterfisch; French Poisson-papillon Larme, Poisson-papillon à Une Tache, Chaetodon Ocellé

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Taputapu (RR AT MT AK), Tītī (TS TW); Other Polynesian - Paraharaha (TAH)

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

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

KEY FEATURES: To 20cm SL.

Enlarged Image of 'Chaetodon unimaculatus'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Chaetodon unimaculatus Bloch, 1787
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Percoidei; Percoidea; CHAETODONTIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Aitutaki: fieldsight, lagoon, 12/2000, GMcC. Palmerston: Photo36 (G&S85); Listed (Preston95). Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Chaetodon unimaculatus.

References:
text p.157 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 66e Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.230 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.345 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 58-01 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 56-01 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 696 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM06a, 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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