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Gomphosus varius

Karore

Bird Wrasse

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Initial phase Female	39KB
Image:	Terminal phase Male	32KB
Video:	on Rarotonga, Male (© Karl Traylor)	356KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Bird Wrasse, Birdfish; German Grüner Vogelfisch; French Poisson Oiseau, Poisson-bec

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Karore / Rōrō? (RR), Takataka (MG AT MK MT), Karore (AK), Malali (TS), Marari (TW), Pīpiri (MH), Autūtonu (PK NS); Other Polynesian - Poou Uturoa (TAH); COMMENT: Takataka means "plain, ungarnished", eg. Taro takataka (Taringa 98).

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Tuamotus, Hawai‘i; n. to s.Japan; s. to Lord Howe - Rapa

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group and N.Group. PLUS:; Marine, near-shore, lagoon and outer reef-slope

KEY FEATURES: To 25cm SL.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Gomphosus varius Lacepède, 1801
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Labroidei; LABRIDAE, Julidini

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mangaia: CAS73837 (DSM58); Photo as Gomphosus tricolor (Clerk81); specimen, College, 9/2000, ID GMcC. Palmerston: Photo59 (G&S85); Listed (Preston95). Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Gomphosus varius. Suwarrow: field ID N.Sims (Sims EIA99).

References:
text p.184 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 96h Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.316 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.449 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 101-03 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 75-02 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 782 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zTXmx, 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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