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Gempylus serpens

‘Ā‘ā Mangā Ivi^

Serpent Snake-Mackerel

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Image:	Adult (b&w illustration)	19KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Serpent Snake-Mackerel, Snake Mackerel; French Escolier Serpent

TRADITIONAL NAMES: ‘Ā‘ā Mangā Ivi (RR), A‘a Manga (PL)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE circumtropical & subtropics, (incl. Fiji, Samoa, Cooks, Easter)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native - to verify; Not verified in Cook Islands (GMcC 2/2004); Marine, near-shore, deepbottom

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food (3+)

KEY FEATURES: A very elongate fish (1:15 D:L) typically to 60cm SL (max. 100cm). First Dorsal with ±28 spines, 2nd Dorsal and Anal small and opposite, 6 finlets. Two lateral lines, upper ending at 2nd Dorsal and lower ending in tail.

SIMILAR SPECIES: CI News pre-1988 photographed 220cmx33kg and 205cmx32kg - ask at fishing club to find the date - ID by Jack Randall as Gempylus serpens.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
		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

Gempylus serpens Cuvier, 1829
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Scombroidei; GEMPYLIDAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: see under Promethichthys prometheus.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Cooks: Nakamura & Parin 1993, Snake Mackerels... FAO Fish Synop. 15 (125). Rarotonga: 2 specimens (220cm-33kg & 205cm-32kg) photo CINews ?date, ID Sims (Sims EIA99) - ++questionable ID due to size, prob. Black Snoek GMc.

References:
Special Reference: Nakamura & Parin 1993, Snake Mackerels... FAO Fish Synop. 15 (125).

p.601 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
Species No. 351 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

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