Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Naso lituratus

Ume Tuitui (MG)

Orangespine Unicornfish

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult	59KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Orangespine Unicornfish, Orange-spine Unicornfish, Painted Unicornfish, Smooth-head Unicornfish, Barcheek Unicornfish, Clown Tang, Masked Unicornfish; German Gelbklingen-Nasendoktor; French Nason à Éperons Orange

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Ume (RR TS TW), Ume Tuitui / Ume Tako (MG), Umeume < Ume < Poko-toki (AT), Umeume < Ume (MK), Umeume (MT AK), Shishi (PL), Mahepo (MH), Ume Yikukula / Ume Pate (PK); Other Polynesian - Ume Tarei (TAH), Une Rero (MVA)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Tuamotus, Hawai‘i; n. to s.Japan; s. to New Caledonia - Rapa

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group, very common; N.Group, common. PLUS:; Marine, near-shore, outer reef-slope to 20m

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Prized food; Injurous spines - moderate

KEY FEATURES: To 45cm SL.

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: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
	P		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

Naso lituratus (Forster, 1801)
SYNONYMS: Acanthurus lituratus [O]; Callicanthus lituratus

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Acanthuroidei; ACANTHURIDAE, Nasinae

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mangaia: specimen, College, 9/2000, ID GMcC. Atiu: field-specimen, College collection, 10/2000, ID GMcC. Mauke: field specimen, College, 3/2001, ID GMcC. Mitiaro: specimen outer reef R.Bagnis pers. comm (Sims88). Aitutaki: field-specimen, NBSAP School, 12/2000, ID GM; fieldsight, lagoon, 12/2000, GMcC. Palmerston: Photo75 as Callicanthus lituratus (G&S85); Listed (Preston95). Manihiki: specimen as Naso sp. (B&M74), reID J.E.Randall as post-larval N. lituratus (more likely) or N. unicornis (Sims88). Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Naso lituratus. Suwarrow: field ID N.Sims (Sims EIA99).

References:
text p.250 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 131b Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.431 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.591 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 128-01 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 94-10 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 909 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.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List