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Gymnothorax meleagris

Kōpeti (AK)

Whitemouth Moray

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Image:	Adult	78KB
Video:	on Rarotonga (© Karl Traylor)	449KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Whitemouth Moray, Guineafowl Moray, Dotted Moray; German Perlen-Muräne; French Murène Ponctuée, Murène Perlée

TRADITIONAL NAMES: ‘Ā‘ā (RR), Kerekere Rōriki (MG), Pui Kōpatapata (AT), Pu‘i Kōpitipiti (MK MT), Kōpeti (AK), Pusi Tōpatapata (TS TW), Kalou (PK); Other Polynesian - Puhi (TAH)

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

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; RR, MG. PLUS:; Marine, near-shore

KEY FEATURES: To 120cm TL.(RM91) [ 100cm - GBR]

Enlarged Image of 'Gymnothorax meleagris'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group:
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

Gymnothorax meleagris (Shaw and Nodder, 1795)
SYNONYMS: Lycodontis meleagris; Muraena meleagris [O]

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

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: outer reef 5-40m, multiple field IDs Sims (Sims88). Mangaia: recorded (Clerk81); specimen, College, 9/2000, ID GMcC. Atiu: field-specimen, College collection, 10/2000, ID GMcC. Mauke: field-specimen, College coll., 3/2001, ID GMcC. Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004.

References:
text p.44 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 10a Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.39 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.56 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 6-02 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 8-06 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 141 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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