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Paracirrhites hemistictus

Pātuki Tara (AT)

Whitespot Hawkfish

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Pale and dark phases (Cook Islands)	60KB
Image:	Yellow fins on pale phase (Rarotonga)	89KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Whitespot Hawkfish, Halfspotted Hawkfish, Half-dotted Hawkfish, Multicolored Hand-fish; German Halbgefleckter Korallenwächter; French Épervier Tacheté

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Pātuki ‘Iva (MG), Pātuki Tara (AT MK MT), Paratuki / Tonu Paratuki (AK), Pātuki (TS TW), Pātuki Wala / Pātuki Yiva (PK); Other Polynesian - Patui (TAH); COMMENT: Aitutaki: pale phase is Pārātuki and dark phase is Pārātuki Tonu.

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Cocos - Ducie; n. to N.Marianas; s. to New Caledonia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; N.Group. (MH, PK, SW) PLUS:; Marine, near-shore, lagoon and outer reef-slope to 70m

Enlarged Image of 'Paracirrhites hemistictus'

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

Paracirrhites hemistictus (Günther, 1874)
SYNONYMS: Cirrhites hemistictus [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Percoidei; Cirrhitoidea; CIRRHITIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mangaia: specimens, both morphs, NBSAP 9/2000, MMR staff & GM. Atiu: field-specimen, College collection, 10/2000, ID GMcC. Mauke: field-specimen, both morphs, College coll., 3/2001, ID GMcC. Manihiki: A685-1specimen, A958-1, outer reef-slope 33-66m depth (B&M74). Pukapuka: specimen G.Andrews to BPBBM (Sims88); fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Paracirrhites hemistictus. Suwarrow: Photo in lagoon N.Sims, ID confirmed by J.E.Randall (Sims88 & EIA99).

References:
text p.116 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 39e Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.289 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.413 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 34-06 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 68-08 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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