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Saurida gracilis

Mokomoko

Graceful Lizardfish

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Graceful Lizardfish, Slender Lizardfish; German Marmorierter Eidechsenfisch; French Poisson-lézard, Anoli Grêle

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Mokomoko / Moko Moe-one (RR), Karaea (MG AK TW), Moko (AT), Moeone / Moe-one (MK), Mokomoko (MT), Kalaea (TS), Koropanitu (MH), Kalapa (PK); Other Polynesian - Moo Miti (TAH); COMMENT: Rarotonga: people say Mokomoko, Moko Moe-one and Moko Karaea (Taringa 98).

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Ducie, Hawai‘i; n. to s.Japan; s. to Norfolk - Rapa

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

KEY FEATURES: To 30cm SL.

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

Saurida gracilis (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824)
SYNONYMS: Saurus gracilis [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Aulopiformes; Alepisauroidei; SYNODONTIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen BPBM set gillnet Avatiu pass. (Sims88). Pukapuka: fieldsight detailed, lagoon 1m on sand, 2/2004, ID GMcC. Suwarrow: Photo03 as Synodus sp. (G&S85), re-ID Randall (Sims EIA99).

References:
text p.63 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 12a Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.49 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.72 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 9-12 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 11-16 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 90 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zTXmx, 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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