Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Elagatis bipinnulata

Rōroa

Rainbow Runner

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult (Palmerston)	27KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Rainbow Runner; German Regenbogen-Makrele; French Coureur Arc-en-ciel, Comète Saumon

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Rōroa (RR MG TW), Ānuanua (AT), ‘Ō‘ōveo (MK), ‘Ōveoveo (MT), Roroa (PL), Lōloa (TS), Kamai (PK); Other Polynesian - Roeroe / Oroe (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE circumtropical; s. to NZ

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; PLUS: Both Groups, especially around FADs. Trolling and handlining.; Marine, pelagic and nearshore, 0-50m

KEY FEATURES: To 110cm SL, depth ~4 in SL. Sleek cigarlike or spindlelike body. Blue-green above, white below; MIDSIDE WITH 2 NARROW BLUE STRIPES BORDERING A BROAD YELLOWISH STRIPE; 2nd Dorsal, Anal and Tail yellowish. Sharp snout with upper jawbone ending before front edge of eye; Pectoral shorter than head length; tail deeply forked; without scutes; grooves above and below tail base; Anal less than 70% base of 2nd Dorsal; one 2-rayed finlet behind 2nd Dorsal and Anal Fins.

Enlarged Image of 'Elagatis bipinnulata'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Elagatis bipinnulata (Quoy and Gaimard, 1825)
SYNONYMS: Elagatis bipinnulatus [misspelt]; Micropteryx bipinnulatus; Seriola bipinnulata [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Percoidei; Percoidea; CARANGIDAE, Naucratinae

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: A popular game fish in mary areas.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: recorded & ID Sims (Sims88). Mauke: fieldspecimen, College, 3/2001, ID GMcC. Palmerston: recorded (Preston95). Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 1/2004, 200fathoms dropline, Marurai Marurai, Vigo Jnr. Vigo, and Casper Vigo, ID GMcC.

References:
text p.132 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 47b Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.163 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.245 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 155-09 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 39-02 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 394 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM04b, 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.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List