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Pempheris oualensis

Pura Tapatai

Copper Sweeper

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult 1 (Rarotonga)	58KB
Image:	Adult 2 (Rarotonga)	30KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Copper Sweeper, Copper Sweeper, Silver Sweeper, Bronze Sweeper; German Kupfer-Beilbauchfisch; French Balayeur Argenté

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Pura Tapatai (RR), Tapata‘i (MG), Kūpā (AT MK MT), Mother Marau (PL), Palu (TS), Paru (TW), Pāniwi (PK); Other Polynesian - Mata Anaana / Pura (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Ducie; n. to s.Japan; s. to Lord Howe - Rapa

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group and N.Group; Marine, near-shore, lagoon and outer reef-slope; in crevices and holes

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Not eaten.

KEY FEATURES: To 20cm SL, depth 2 in SL. Face blunt, eye large, dorsally slightly arched, underside deeply curved; somewhat resembling a small helicopter. Dark brown above; sides, belly and fins coppery, except: Pectoral-joint black blotched; Dorsal tip and leading edge black; and Anal outer-edge pale.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Tahiti Sweeper (Pempheris otaitensis) if it is a separate species has anal outer-edge black (vs. pale).

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:
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

Pempheris oualensis Cuvier, 1831
SYNONYMS: Pempheris otaitensis Cuvier[probably a synonym]

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

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen gillnet Avatiu pass. ID N.Sims (Sims88). Atiu: field-specimen+photo, check ID, College collection, 10/2000, ID GMcC. Mauke: specimen+photo, check ID, College, 3/2001, ID GMcC. Manihiki: A685-1specimen (B&M74). Pukapuka: specimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack, to BPBM, ID by J.Randall as Pempheris oualensis,5/2004.

References:
text p.151 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 60a Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.321 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 55-07 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 53-10 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 657 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM07a, 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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