General Information

COMMON NAMES: Mackerel Tuna, Kawakawa, Little Tuna, Little Tunny, Black Skipjack[Kawakawa Kina'u is the Hawaiian name]; French Bonite TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tuatava (TS TW MH), Tāpotu (PK); Other Polynesian - Otava (TAH) GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Societies, Hawai‘i; n. to s.Japan; s. to New Caledonia COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; N.Group. PLUS: Informants from fishbook (Sims); Marine, pelagic, surface schools, esp summer KEY FEATURES: To 100cm and 13kg, common to 60cm. Body fusiform, round and elongate; naked except for corselet.Topside dark blue, lower sides and belly silvery-white with ~2 DARK SPOTS ABOVE PELVICS; hind upper-half with dark wavy oblique bars. 1st Dorsal high, strongly concave then low.

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

Euthynnus affinis (Cantor, 1849)
SYNONYMS: Thynnus affinis [O]; Euthunnus affinis; Euthunnus alletteratus affinis

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Scombroidei; SCOMBRIDAE, Thunnini

GENERAL NOTE: In large schools with other tunas. Opportunistic feeder on fishes, shrimps and cephalopods. Often preyed upon by marlins and sharks.

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004.

References:
Special Reference: Collette, B.B. & C.E. Nauen, FAO species catalogue. Vol. 2. Scombrids of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of tunas, mackerels, bonitos and related species known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. (125)Vol.2:33.

p.447 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.602 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 97-07 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 346 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

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