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Gymnothorax pictus

Tū‘ua (AK)

Peppered Moray

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Peppered Moray, Paintspotted Moray, Painted Moray-Eel; German Pfeffer-Muräne; French Murène Sidérale

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tū‘ua (MG AT MK MT AK), Pusi Kōilaila (TS), Pusi Kōiraira (TW), Puhi Tea (MH), Kalou Kena (PK); Other Polynesian - Puhi Tiahua (TAH)

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

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

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
	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

Gymnothorax pictus (Ahl, 1789)
SYNONYMS: Muraena picta [O]; Siderea picta

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Anguilliformes; Muraenoidei; MURAENIDAE. COMMENT: SciName J.E.Randall pers.comm. 3/2000, not Eschmeyer.

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -. Comments: A dangerous eel. Will attack (Mangaia) - nice eating.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mangaia: ?ID (Clerk81). Palmerston: Photo04 as Echidna leucotaenia (G&S85), re-ID Randall (Sims88 & EIA99). Manihiki: 1 specimen #A667as Gymnothorax pictus (B&M74). Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004.

References:
text p.48 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 10e Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.42 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.58 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 7-10 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 7-14 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 139 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zTXmx, zB02, zM02

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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