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Epinephelus polyphekadion

Hāpuku (PN)

Marbled Grouper

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult (SW Pacific)	70KB
Image:	Upper teeth: premaxillary (jaw), vomerine ("V"), and palatine (x2)	76KB
Image:	Adult (Suwarrow)	72KB
Video:	Suwarrow (© G.Wragg)	818KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Marbled Grouper, Camouflage Grouper, Camouflage Rockcod, Marbled Sea-Bass, Small-toothed Rockcod; German Getarnter Zackenbarsch; French Mérou Camouflage

TRADITIONAL NAMES: ‘Āpuku [ID?] (AT), ‘Āpuku (MT), Hāpuku (TS TW), Wāpuku (PK); Other Polynesian - Hapuu (TAH), Kito (TUA), Haoa (MQA), Hapuku (MVA)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Marquesas; n. to s.Japan; s. to Tonga

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; N.Group - common; S.Group - rare.; Marine, near-shore, lagoons and outer reef-slope, especially on atolls

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food

KEY FEATURES: Large spotted grouper to 60cm SL. Stocky (depth 3x in SL) with tail round. Whole body, fins and tail densely covered in small black spots more close-set on the head and upper body; overlaid by ~5 irregular dark diagonal bars extending onto Dorsal Fin; and 1 black saddle on tail-base; outer soft-Dorsal and Tail dark with black spots and scattered white spots. Dorsal spines XI; middle lower jaw teeth in 2-3 rows; Gill Rakers 8-10 + 15-17.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Brown-marbled Grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus (not positively identified in the Cooks) has similar colouring but has 18-20 Pectoral rays (vs. 16-17); more lower gill-rakers 17-21 (vs. 15-17); indentation in forehead profile above eyes (vs. smoothly convex forehead); reaches 100cm SL (vs. 60cm). (e.Africa - Samoa)

Enlarged Image of 'Epinephelus polyphekadion'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Epinephelus polyphekadion (Bleeker, 1849)
SYNONYMS: Epinephelus microdon [of authors]; Serranus polyphekadion [O]

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

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Manihiki: specimens #A763 x1, A770 x3, as Epinephelus fuscoguttatus (B&M74), Sims reID as "probably Epinephelus microdon" without explanation (Sims88), FAO Species Cat. Vol.16 (1993) indicated that polyphekodion is the valid name for what has been called microdon and specimens are often confused with fuscoguttatus. Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Epinephelus polyphekadion.

References:
text p.108 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 34b Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.112 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
plate 27-03 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 23-11 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....

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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