Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Dactyloptena orientalis

Fa‘i (MH)

Common Helmet Gurnard

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult	42KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Common Helmet Gurnard, Flying Gurnard, Oriental Flying-Gurnard; German Helm-Knurrhahn; French Grondin Volant Rouge, Pourpre

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Fa‘i (MH); Other Polynesian - Marara One / Marara Ute‘ute (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Tuamotu; Hawai‘i; n. to s.Japan; s. to NZ

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

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Excellent eating.

KEY FEATURES: To 35cm SL.(RM91) [ 38cm - GBR]

Enlarged Image of 'Dactyloptena orientalis'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Dactyloptena orientalis (Cuvier, 1829)
SYNONYMS: Dactylopterus orientalis [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Scorpaeniformes; Dactylopteroidei; DACTYLOPTERIDAE. COMMENT: Although the original genus was the masculine Dactylopterus, the accepted valid spelling was determined by Jordan & Richardson (1908) as the feminine Dactyloptena.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen Nikao lagoon Goldsmith, photo & ID GMc ~1983; specimen reef-flat gillnet Sims (Sims88).

References:
text p.90 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 20h Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.76 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.136 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 17-06 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 16-12 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 1014 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.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List