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Chlorurus frontalis

U‘u (MG)

Tanface Parrotfish

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Tanface Parrotfish, Reefcrest Parrotfish, Blue Parrotfish, Tattoed Parrotfish; German Lavendel-Papageifisch; French Perroquet à Front Sombre

TRADITIONAL NAMES: U‘u (MG), Akau (PL TS TW), Wuakau / Wū Wuakau < Wuakau (PK); Other Polynesian - Uhu Atoa (TAH), Noga / Gavere (TUA), Kareva (MVA), Hinaa Rere (MQA)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Philippines - GBR - Ducie; n. to s.Japan; s. to New Caledonia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Common in lagoons and on the reef-flat. PLUS: ; Marine, near-shore, reef-flat and surf zone

KEY FEATURES: To 40cm, TPMale similar colour to IP, but with near-vertical forehead and lunate tail. Check with 2 rows of scales; dental plates exposed. ADULTS with 2-3 canines on upper plate; colour green with pink bar on scales; chin with pink bar; face with large tan blotch with inner green bar (hence, Tanface Parrotfish); IP tail-base sometimes pale.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Extensive tan face is unique.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Chlorurus frontalis (Valenciennes, 1840)
SYNONYMS: Scarus frontalis [O]

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

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: field sighting ID N.Sims (Sims88). Aitutaki: field sighting ID N.Sims (Sims88). Palmerston: Photo62 as Scarus sordidus (G&S85), reID J.E.Randall as S. frontalis TP (Sims88); field specimen ID N.Sims (Sims88). Manihiki: A681-1specimen as Scarus jonesi (B&M74). Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004. Suwarrow: field ID as Scarus frontalis N.Sims, photo confirmed J.E.Randall (Sims88 & EIA99).

References:
text p.195 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 108f Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.349 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.483 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 108-08 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 82-05 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....

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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