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Epinephelus socialis

Kō‘ina (AK)

Surge Grouper

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Image:	Adult specimen (Mitiaro)	76KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Surge Grouper, Tidepool Grouper, White-dotted Grouper, Leopard Sea-Bass; German Brandungs-Zackenbarsch; French Mérou Houleux, Loche Léopard

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Karau Tapairu (MG), Marau (AT), Marau Kō‘ina (MK), Kō‘ina / Kō‘ina < Ngatara (MT), Kō‘ina (AK), Ngatara (PL TW), Ngatala (TS), Unaliki (PK); Other Polynesian - Atara (TAH), Apia / Garea (TUA), Hapuku (G)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Oceanic islands in diagonal band from s.Japan - Marshalls - Samoa - Pitcairn (not Melanesia, Marquesas nor Hawai‘i)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; PLUS: Common in N.Group; uncommon in S.Group.; Marine, near-shore, reef-flat and channels to 3m; outer reef-flat in surge, on atolls rather than high islands

KEY FEATURES: A dark grouper, adults 30-45cm. Thickset (depth 3x in SL), with round tail. Body cream with brown-black spots NOT forming distinct hexagons; posteriorly spots joining foring wavy longitudinal lines; throat and belly without spots; dorsally 4 dark blotches, with 5th on tail-base; fins and tail darkening distally with white spots, subterminal black band and white margin.

SIMILAR SPECIES: The dark spots on the pale body giving away to white spots on the outer darkened fins and tail, and the pale unspotted belly are definitive.

Enlarged Image of 'Epinephelus socialis'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
P	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 socialis (Günther, 1873)
SYNONYMS: Serranus socialis

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

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Cooks: Heemstra & Randall 1993, FAO Fish. Synops. #125, Vol.16. Rarotonga: field ID Sims (Sims88); BPBM1984. Mitiaro: fieldspecimen+photo, fisherman, 5/2001, ID GMcC - a thorough ID. Palmerston: reported (Preston95); NMNZ14651. Manuae: specimen night reef-gleaning, photo & ID Sims confirmed Randall (Sim88). Tongareva: ANSP77451. Manihiki: 1 specimen #A958 (B&M74). Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004.

References:
Special Reference: Heemstra & Randall 1993, FAO Fish. Synops. #125, Vol.16

text p.106 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 32d Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.188 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 28-09 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes

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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