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Cheilinus chlorourus

Kōpiropiro

Floral Wrasse

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Image:	Adult male and juvenile	43KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Floral Wrasse, Yellow-dotted Maori Wrasse, Floral Maori Wrasse, Red-spotted Maori Wrasse; German Schneeflocken-Lippfisch; French Vieille Tachetée, Labre Maori, Perroquet

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Kōpiropiro (RR AK), Poue (AT), Pōue (MT), Marairai (PL), Papo (TS TW MH), Malali? (PK); Other Polynesian - Papae Mara (TAH); COMMENT: Piropiro means an "unpleasant or putrid smell".

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

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; N.Group to AK, common; RR, uncommon. PLUS:; Marine, near-shore, lagoons and outer reef-slope

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Poor food

KEY FEATURES: To 40cm SL. Little change with age or sex.

Enlarged Image of 'Cheilinus chlorourus'

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

Cheilinus chlorourus (Bloch, 1791)
SYNONYMS: Cheilinus chlorurus [misspelling]; Sparus chlorourus [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Labroidei; LABRIDAE, Cheilinini

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Aitutaki: field-specimen, NBSAP School, 12/2000, ID GM; fieldsight, lagoon, 12/2000, GMcC. Palmerston: Photo57 asThallirus chlorurus (G&S85); Listed (Preston95). Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004. Suwarrow: field ID N.Sims (Sims EIA99).

References:
text p.178 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 90a Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.301 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.433 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 92-05 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
Species No. 772 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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