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Melichthys niger

Kōkiri Kerekere (MK)

Black Triggerfish

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Black Triggerfish, Black Durgon; German Schwarzer-Drückerfisch; French Baliste Noir

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Kōkiri (AT), Kōkiri Kerekere (MK MT TW), Kōkili Kelekele (TS), Kili (PK); Other Polynesian - Oiri Rauape (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE circumtropical [incl. e.Africa - Tuamotu, Hawai‘i; n. to s.Japan; s. to s.Cooks.

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group, rare; N.Group common; Marine, near-shore, Mid-water on steep outer reef-slope

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Not eaten.

KEY FEATURES: To 28cm SL. Black with white or pale blue stripe along base of Dorsal and Anal.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Melichthys niger (Bloch, 1786)
SYNONYMS: Balistes niger [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Tetraodontiformes; Tetraodontoidei; Balistoidea; BALISTIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mauke: field specimen, College, 3/2001, ID GMcC. Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Melichthys niger. Suwarrow: field ID N.Sims (Sims EIA99).

References:
text p.258 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 136a Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.622 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 132-02 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 100-04 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 1048 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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