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Epinephelus tuamotuensis

‘Āpuku ?sp

Reticulated Grouper

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Image:	Adult specimen (Rarotonga) Adult - dead	36KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Reticulated Grouper, Tuamotu Grouper, Snakeskin Seabass; French Mérou Réseau

TRADITIONAL NAMES: ‘Āpuku ?sp (RR), ‘Āpuku (AT), Paru Aroa (PL), Punga [ID?] (TS TW), Fapuku Mataroa (MH), Palu Katakata ? (PK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Southeast Polynesia (Cooks - Easter)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Endemic of se.Polynesia; Marine, near-shore, deepbottom; 150-300m

KEY FEATURES: To 65cm SL. Thickset (depth 3x in SL); fins and tail rounded; lower teeth in two rows. Yellow-brown with dark brown irregular spots, blotches and lines forming discontinuous network to just below mid-body. Fins (incl. tail) uniform pale brown inner, with yellow outer sections.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Comet Grouper (Epinephelus morrhua) is structurally identical, but its dark markings form several distinctive long-curving bands (vs. interrupted reticulate pattern).

Enlarged Image of 'Epinephelus tuamotuensis'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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 tuamotuensis Fourmanoir, 1971
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Percoidei; Percoidea; SERRANIDAE, Epinephelinae

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: several specimens ID Sims (Sims88); specimen, Api Temata 5/2000, when Manga fishing; ID GMc - reticulation almost identical to p.246 FAO Species Cat. v.16. Aitutaki: reported P.Mead (Sims88). Palmerston: 5 specimens (Preston95 p57). Tongareva: 57 specimens deep-bottom trials, av.5kg whole, as Epinephelus morrhua (T&P85). Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 3/2004, K.Salisbury, with ID as Epinephelus tuamotuensis by G.McCormack, 12/2004.

References:
Special Reference: Heemstra & Randall 1993, FAO Fish. Synops. #125, Vol.16:246-7, plate XXIV-C.

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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