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Plectropomus laevis

Tonu Roi

Saddleback Grouper

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult: both colour phases	35KB
Image:	Adult: dark phase (Suwarrow)	41KB
Image:	Adult: dark phase (Palmerston)	67KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Saddleback Grouper, Chinese Footballer, Giant Coral-Trout, Blacksaddled Leopard-Gouper, Black-saddled Coral-Trout, Black-saddled Coralgrouper; German Sattel-Forellenbarsch; French Mérou Sellé, Mérou Léopard

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tonu Roi (RR MG), Tonu (AK PL), Tenu (MH), Tonu / Ungaungātonu < Tonu (PK); Other Polynesian - Tonu (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Tuamotus; n. to s.Japan; s. to New Caledonia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group - uncommon to rare; N.Group - common; Marine, near-shore

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Often ciguatoxic

KEY FEATURES: To >100cm SL.(RM91) [ 100cm - GBR] Dark phase and Pale Phase

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

Plectropomus laevis (Lacepède, 1801)
SYNONYMS: Labrus laevis [O]; Plectropomus leopardus [MisID in B&M74 MH]; Plectropomus maculatus [common MisID includ. G&S85 SW]

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

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Palmerston: Photo17 as Plectropomus maculatus (G&S85); common on outer reef-slope (Preston95). Manihiki: 1 specimen #A770 as Plectropomus leopardus (B&M74). Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004. Suwarrow: Photo17 as Plectropomus maculatus (G&S85).

References:
Special Reference: Randall & Hoese, 1987:

text p.110 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 35b Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.117 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.204 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 29-03 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 25-12 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....

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