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Sicyopterus taeniurus

Pacific Rockclimbing Goby

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Image:	Adult	30KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Pacific Rockclimbing Goby, Brown Goby

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Vanuatu - New Caledonia - Marquesas

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group only (Rarotonga only); Freshwater, streams

KEY FEATURES: Small bottom-living fish, to 9cmTL. Dark brown to grey-brown, with black bar beneath the eye. Slightly tapering cylindrical fish, with bulbous eyes and bulbous snout and wide, thick-lipped mouth. Fins large; translucent; 2nd Dorsal with small dark spots; Tail with black submarginal band; Ventral (or Pelvic) Fins adhesive disc. Adults use alterately the ventral adhesive disc and their sucking mouth to "inch" their way up waterfalls.

Enlarged Image of 'Sicyopterus taeniurus'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

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

Sicyopterus taeniurus (Günther, 1877)
SYNONYMS: Sicydium taeniurum Günther, 1877; Sicyopterus lagocephalus (Pallas 1770)

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Gobioidei; GOBIIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimens+photo, 11/1994, Avatiu 0m, Tupapa 70m, Avana 60m, G.McCormack, to Smithsonian, USNM341649 -52, ID L.Parenti, 6/1996 as Sicyopterus taeniurus.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM06a, zD06a

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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