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Lethrinus erythracanthus

Mū (AK)

Orangefin Emperor

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult (Suwarrow)	30KB
Image:	Adult specimen (Suwarrow)	57KB
Image:	Close-up of mouth (Pukapuka)	82KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Orangefin Emperor, Orange-spotted Emperor, Yellow-spotted Emperor; German Gelbflossen-Strassenkehrer; French Bec de Cane à Nageoires Orange, Empereur Capitaine

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Mati (AT), Mū Tara < Mū (AK), Snapper (PL), Tāmule (PK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Tuamotus; n. to s.Japan; s. to New Caledonia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; PLUS: RR rare, PL; N.Group, common in deeper lagoons.; Marine, near-shore

Enlarged Image of 'Lethrinus erythracanthus'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Lethrinus erythracanthus Valenciennes, 1830
SYNONYMS: Lethrinus kallopterus [junior syn.]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Percoidei; Percoidea; LETHRINIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen handline Matavera pass. ID N.Sims as Lethrinus kallopterus (Sims88). Aitutaki: field-specimen, NBSAP School, 12/2000, ID GM. Tongareva: 2 specimens dropline, as Lethrinus kallopterus (T&P85); Listed as Lethrinus kallopterus (Preston95). Manihiki: field ID N.Sims as Lethrinus kallopterus (Sims88). Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Lethrinus erythracanthus. Suwarrow: specimens ID N.Sims as Lethrinus kallopterus (Sims88); field ID N.Sims as Lethrinus kallopterus (Sims EIA99).

References:
text p.146 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 56B Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.199 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
plate 52-09 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 48-11 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM06a

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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