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Pomacanthus imperator

Taputapu

Emperor Angelfish

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult (Rarotonga)	45KB
Image:	Intermediate (Rarotonga)	63KB
Video:	Adult (Rarotonga) (© Karl Traylor)	299KB
Video:	Juvenile (Rarotonga) (© Karl Traylor)	482KB
Image:	Adult 2 (Rarotonga)	70KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Emperor Angelfish, Imperial Angelfish; German Imperator-Kaiserfisch; French Poisson-ange Empereur, Poisson-ange Impérial

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Taputapu (RR AT MK MT), Ti‘iti‘i Tutae-puaka [guts stink] (MG), Taputapu Moana (AK), Tītī (TS TW); Other Polynesian - Paraharaha (TAH)

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

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; PLUS: S.Group and N.Group. Uncommon. Outer reef-slope.; Marine, near-shore

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Not targeted

KEY FEATURES: To 40cm SL.

Enlarged Image of 'Pomacanthus imperator'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
					++

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

Pomacanthus imperator (Bloch, 1787)
SYNONYMS: Chaetodon imperator [O]; Holacanthus imperator; Pomacanthodes imperator

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

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Atiu: field-specimen, College collection, 10/2000, ID GMcC. Aitutaki: fieldspecimen, NBSAP School, 12/2000, ID GM. Palmerston: Photo40 (G&S85); Listed (Preston95). Suwarrow: field ID N.Sims (Sims EIA99).

References:
text p.163 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 73c Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.244 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.363 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 72-02 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 59-09 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 703 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

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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