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Rhinecanthus aculeatus

Kōkiri Toka

Picasso Triggerfish

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Image:	Adult	28KB
Video:	on Rarotonga (© Karl Traylor)	299KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Picasso Triggerfish, Whitebanded Triggerfish, Painted Triggerfish, Clear Picasso-Triggerfish, Black-bar Triggerfish; German Gemeiner-Picassodrücker; French Baliste Picasso Clair, Baliste Picasso

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Kōkiri Toka (RR), Kōkiri (MG MT AK), Kōkiri Pōpōpia (AT), Kōkiri Ngaoā (MK), Kōkiri Kaimānu (PL), Kōkili / Kōkili Tea (TS), Kōkiri / Kōkiri Tea (TW), Kōkiri Tea (MH), Kōkiri Vānangatea (RK), Kōkili / Kōkili Alo (PK); Other Polynesian - Oiri Uouo (TAH); COMMENT: Kōkiri Toka is in lagoon, Kōkiri Tua is dark and outside the reef (Taringa 98).

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Tuamotus, Hawai; n. to s.Japan; s. to Lord Howe

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group and N.Group. Common. PLUS:; Marine, near-shore, Shallow lagoon and reef-flat over rubble

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Not a food.

KEY FEATURES: To 25cm SL.

Enlarged Image of 'Rhinecanthus aculeatus'

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
	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

Rhinecanthus aculeatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
SYNONYMS: Balistapus aculeatus; Balistes aculeatus [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Tetraodontiformes; Tetraodontoidei; Balistoidea; BALISTIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mangaia: specimen, College, 9/2000, ID GMcC. Mauke: fieldspecimen, College, 3/2001, ID GMcC. Aitutaki: field-specimen, NBSAP School, 12/2000, ID GM; fieldsight, lagoon, 12/2000, GMcC. Palmerston: Photo81 (G&S85); Listed (Preston95). Manihiki: A668-1,A961-1specimen (B&M74). Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Rhinecanthus aculeatus. Suwarrow: field ID N.Sims (Sims EIA99).

References:
text p.259 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 137a Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.455 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.626 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 133-08 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 100-05 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 1054 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.
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