General Information

COMMON NAMES: Bluelined Snapper, Bluestripe Seaperch, Bluestriped Snapper, Bluelined Seaperch, Blue-Banded Hussar; German Blaustreifen-Schnapper; French Vivaneau à Raies Bleues TRADITIONAL NAMES: Morenga (MG), Tangau (AT), Matimati (MK MT), Paru Tangau (AK), Takapeti Mōlenga (TS), Takapeti Mōrenga (TW), Tunaelenga (PK); Other Polynesian - Taape (TAH), Takapa (MVA), Toehare (TUA), Teape / Kokape (MQA) GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Tuamotus; n. to s.Japan; s. to New Caledonia COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; PLUS: N.Group, common; S.Group uncommon. Outer reef slope to 35 metres.; Marine, near-shore SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food fish KEY FEATURES: To 35cm SL. Oval, upper-70% bright yellow with three pale blue stripes with dark blue outlines, lowest stripe from below the eye to centre of tailbase. Fins and tail yellow. Face blue-grey, with dark diffuse stripe snout-to-eye; white cheeks, chin and underbody - the last ± narrow grey lines. SIMILAR SPECIES: Five-lined Snapper (Lutjanus quinquelineatus) has five blue stripes & a sixth on the cheek, a yellower belly, and a dark blotch between the 2nd & 3rd stripes towards rear.

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		+++

Lutjanus kasmira (Forsskål, 1775)
SYNONYMS: Sciaena kasmira [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Percoidei; Percoidea; LUTJANIDAE, Lutjaninae

Vouchers:
Cooks: Allen 1985, FAO Fish. Synop. #125 (v.6). Rarotonga: specimens Gill-net Avatiu, Avarua, Ngatangiia pass. ID N.Sims (Sims88); field sightings, Tikioki lagoon, 3/00, IDGM. Mangaia: informants ID from photos (Clerk81). Palmerston: listed (Preston95). Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Lutjanus kasmira. Suwarrow: field ID N.Sims (Sims EIA99).

References:
Special Reference: Allen 1985, FAO Fish. Synop. Snappers of the World... #125 (v.6).

text p.137 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 50d Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.181 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.260 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 44-01 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 42-06 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 534 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM06a, zD02

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