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Scarus festivus

Vaiā (AK)

Festive Parrotfish

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Festive Parrotfish, Paumotu Parrotfish, Lunate Parrotfish; German Bürzelfleck-Papageifisch; French Perroquet de Fête

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Ū (AT), Vaiā / Pa‘opa‘o < Pākatikati < Pakati (AK), Koti (TS TW MH); Other Polynesian - Uhu (TAH); COMMENT: MH JSB&CM as Kote

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

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; N.Group. (MH, PN) PLUS:; Marine, near-shore, outer reef-slope below 10m

KEY FEATURES: To 35cm SL. Tail lunate. Colour changes slowly with growth: to 20cm mainly brown. IP mainly brown. TP-MALE lump on face; dark blue-green with pale bars on scales, dark blue bars over face and chin, Dorsal and Anal with blue edge and inner pink stripe; w/wo pale blotch on tail-base.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: Present
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

Scarus festivus Valenciennes, 1840
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Labroidei; SCARIDAE, Scarinae

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Manihiki: A685-2specimens, as Scarus lunula (B&M74); sev. specimens 10-15m depth outer reef-slope ID N.Sims (Sims88).

References:
text p.194 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 107f Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 106-02 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes

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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