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Saloptia powelli

Mā‘e Puā‘au (MK)

Golden Grouper

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult specimen (Pukapuka)	44KB
Image:	Adult specimen (Pukapuka)	68KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Golden Grouper, Pink Grouper, Powell's Grouper; French Mérou D'or

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Mā‘e Puā‘au (MK), Mā‘e (MT), Yengayenga (PK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Taiwan - Tuamotus; n. to s.Japan (Ryukyu Islands); s. to Sthn. Cooks

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group - widespread; N.Group - widespread; Marine, near-shore deepbottom, 150-800m

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Excellent food

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
			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

Saloptia powelli Smith, 1964
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Percoidei; Percoidea; SERRANIDAE, Epinephelinae

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: 1 specimen Powell at 360m, 34cm S.L. (= Type, RUSI-19) described Smith1963. Mauke: fieldspecimen, College, 3/2001, ID Sonny Tatuava & GMcC. Palmerston: 3 specimens (Preston95). Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Saloptia powelli confirmed J.Randall 12/2004; fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, K.Salisbury, ID as Saloptia powelli J.Randall 12/2004.

References:
Special Reference: Heemstra & Randall 1993, FAO Fish. Synops. #125, Vol.16.:299-300, plate XXXI-B.

p.506 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM04a, zupM05a

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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