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Selar crumenophthalmus

‘Ature

Bigeye Scad

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult specimen (Pukapuka)	70KB
Image:	Scad fishing in Ma‘uke Scad fishing in Ma‘uke	69KB
Image:	Compare similar species	181KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Bigeye Scad, Purse-eyed Scad, Atulai, Silver Scad; German Grossangen-Heringsmakrele; French Coulirou, Selar Coulisou

TRADITIONAL NAMES: ‘Ature / ‘Ature < ‘Ature Pa‘i (RR), ‘Ature < Ōrare (MG), Ature < Ature Pai (AT), ‘Ature (MK), ‘Ature / ‘Ature < ‘Ature Pai (MT), ‘Ature < ‘Ōrare (AK), Ature (PL TW), Atule (TS PK), Kohe / ‘Ature (MH); Other Polynesian - Ature (TAH), Aramea / Orare / Komene (TUA), Etue / Papaphu (MQA)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE circumtropical incl. e.Africa - Tuamotus, Hawai‘i - tropical America; n. to s.Japan; s. to New Caledonia

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

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food

KEY FEATURES: To 30cm, depth ~3.5 in SL. Additional eyelid has a narrow slit; small dark spot on the gill cover. Blue-green above, silvery below; ± a broad yellow stripe along upper-side. Straight Lateral Line about equal arched section; scutes 29-42, start under ~8th ray of 2nd Dorsal. On lower margin within the gill opening a deep groove (with a large papilla above). D VIII. Tail tips dark.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Yellowtail Scad (Atule mate, might be present) separates from present species and Oxeye Scad by ABSENCE of deep groove and papilla within gill opening; by Tail greenish-yellow (vs. not yellow); and Dorsal and Anal with terminal finlet-like ray (vs. not finlet-like). Oxeye Scad (Selar boops, might be present) separates from present species by straight lateral line ~2x arched section (vs. about equal); scutes start at ~1st ray of 2nd Dorsal ray (vs. ~8th); and scutes 43-46 (vs. 29-42).

Enlarged Image of 'Selar crumenophthalmus'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
P	P		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

Selar crumenophthalmus (Bloch, 1793)
SYNONYMS: Caranx crumenophthalmus; Scomber crumenophthalmus [O]; Trachurops crumenophthalmus

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Percoidei; Percoidea; CARANGIDAE, Caranginae

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -. Comment: NBSAP - Takitumu (1 of 7 wild)
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Food

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimens beach seine Avatiu Harb. ID Sims confirmed Randall, BPBM (Sims88). Mangaia: specimen, College, 9/2000, ID GMcC. Atiu: recorded as Trachurops crumenophthalmus (Nordhoff 1928 p41); field-specimen, College collection, 10/2000, ID GMcC. Mauke: fieldspecimen, College, 3/2001, ID GMcC. Aitutaki: field-specimen, NBSAP School, 12/2000, ID GM. Manihiki: 1 specimen #A685, as Trachurops crumenophthalmus (B&M74). Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Selar crumenophthalmus. Suwarrow: Lawson and Kearney 1982 as Selar boops, reassigned Sims (Sims88 & EIA99).

References:
text p.128 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate -129b Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.166 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.245 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 154-08 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 39-08 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 369 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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