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Hyporhamphus acutus acutus

Miro Va‘a-potopoto

Pacific Halfbeak

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Pacific Halfbeak; German Pazifik-Halbschnabelhecht; French Demi-bec du Pacifique

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Miro Va‘a-potopoto / Miromiro (RR), Miro Va‘a-potopoto (MG), Miromiro < Miro (AT), Muromuro / Miromiro (MK), Miro (MT), I‘e (AK), Ishe?, Tikoroto? (PL), Ise (TS TW)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE subspecies acutus: Micronesia - Tonga - Marquesas - Easter Is. [Hawai‘i has subspecies pacificus]

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group - present; N.Group - present; Marine, near-shore; schools at surface in lagoons and on outer reef-slopes

KEY FEATURES: To 25cm to Tail-fork.

Enlarged Image of 'Hyporhamphus acutus acutus'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Hyporhamphus acutus acutus (Günther, 1872)
SYNONYMS: Hemirhamphus acutus [O]; Hyporamphus acutus acutus [all, except Hawaii which is Hemiramphis acutus pacificus]; Odontrhamphus chancellori [sensu Weed1933]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Beloniformes; Belonoidei; Exocoetoidea; HEMIRAMPHIDAE. COMMENT: Valid as Hyporhamphus acutus Günther 1872, subspecies acutus (Günther 1872)

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: Type specimen of Hyporhamphus acutus Günther, 1872 - BMNH 1871.9.13.156. Mangaia: specimen, College, 9/2000, ID GMcC. Atiu: specimen+photo, College collection, 10/2000, G.McCormack, to BPBM, ID J.Randall as Hyporhamphus acutus acutus, 5/2004. [a similar specimen from Atiu was ID by J.Randall as Hyporhamphus sp., differing from the Hyporhamphus acutus acutus specimen.] Aitutaki: as Odontrhamphus chancellori Weed1933, Type specimen, FMNH 16208. Manihiki: two specimens (B&M74), one ID confirmed Collette, other H. affinis (Sims88).

References:
text p.73 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate -072g Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 10-10 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes

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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