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Gymnothorax eurostus

Kerekere (MG)

Salt-and-pepper Moray

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult, Mangaia (ID J.Randall)	77KB
Image:	Subadult, Rarotonga (ID J.Randall)	48KB
Image:	Adult	46KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Salt-and-pepper Moray, Stout Moray, Wakanoura Moray, Abbotts Moray; German Gelbflecken-Muräne; French Murène Brune

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Kerekere (MG)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Easter; s. to Norfolk. Japan - Hawai‘i - tropical America (mainly antitropical)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; PL. PLUS: PL (Anon 1988); Marine, near-shore, outer reef-slope

KEY FEATURES: To 60cm TL. Colour confusingly variable; brown with network of cream above; cream with small brown spots below; larger black spots form irregular vertical rows. Distinguishing feature is mouth: mottled dark and light; two long rows of teeth on upper jaw below eye - inner row with 8+ teeth.

Enlarged Image of 'Gymnothorax eurostus'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

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

Gymnothorax eurostus (Abbott, 1861)
SYNONYMS: Lycodontis eurostus; Thyrsoidea eurosta [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Anguilliformes; Muraenoidei; MURAENIDAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: A secretive reef moray.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: fieldsight+photo, Anne & Rick Martin (1998), ID by Jack Randall & Genie Bohlke as colour variant (e-mail M.Francis 29/11/2002). Mangaia: specimen+photo, College NBSAP, 10/2000, ID Randall (e-mail 17/12/2000), 80cm TL. Palmerston: record, as "?eurostrus", Anon.88 (Sims88);

References:
p.36 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.54 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 6-03 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 7-05 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM05b, 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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