Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Epinephelus areolatus

Areolate Grouper

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Open this image in pop-up window Image: Adult specimen (Aitutaki) 25KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Areolate Grouper, Squaretail Grouper, Squaretail Rockcod, Areolate Rockcod; German Polygon-Wabenbarsch; French Mérou ou Loche Auréolée

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Talāo? / Wonu Talāo? (PK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Fiji - Cooks; n. to s.Japan; s. to New Caledonia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group - AK. PLUS:; Marine, near-shore; on fine-sediment bottoms near coral heads

KEY FEATURES: A brown-spotted grouper to 40cm.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Brownspotted Grouper (Epinephelus chlorostigma), which is not recorded in the Cook Islands, but is known in Samoa. Spots of Brownspotted are less than half the pupil-diameter, and separated by a mere line on head, upper body, dorsal fin and tail; it also reaches 75cm SL. Both have yellow band on tail-tip.

Enlarged Image of 'Epinephelus areolatus'

Cook Islands Distribution

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

Northern Group:
TN 
MH
RK
PK
NS
SW
P

Key to Symbols

Scientific Taxonomy

Epinephelus areolatus (Forsskål, 1775)
SYNONYMS: Perca areolata [O]

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

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Aitutaki: photo & ID P.Mead (Sims88). Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004.

References:
p.105 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.190 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 28-07 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 23-03 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 483 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. Copy citation to system clipboard
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