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Siganus argenteus

Mōrava (AK)

Forktail Rabbitfish

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Forktail Rabbitfish, Streamlined Spinefoot, Streaked Spinefoot, Spotted Rabbitfish, Forktail Rabbitfish; German Silber-Kaninchenfisch; French Poisson-lapin Argenté, Picot Gris, Sigan Vermiculé

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Pipiriri < Maemae < Mōrava (RR), Ka‘o < Mōrava (MG), Pirirī < Maemae < Mae (AT), Pipirirī < Maemae < Mōrava (MK), Maemae (MT PL TS TW), Mōrava (AK), Mālava (PK); Other Polynesian - Marava (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Pitcairn; n. to s.Japan; s. to New Caledonia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group and N.Group, mainly in lagoons. PLUS:; Marine, near-shore, Shallow lagoons and outer reef-slope to 15m

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Prized food; Poisonous spines - serious

KEY FEATURES: To 29cm SL.(RM91) [ 37cm - GBR]

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

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

Pests & Hosts

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Relationship	Hosts
Venomous - spines	Homo sapiens,

Scientific Taxonomy

Siganus argenteus (Quoy and Gaimard, 1825)
SYNONYMS: Amphacanthus argenteus [O]; Teuthis argentea

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Acanthuroidei; SIGANIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Prized food
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Poisonous spines - serious. Comments: Injury from spines is relieved rapidly by any "white" toothpaste" (Mangaia, Sue Ngatokorua, 5/2000).

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Cooks: Woodland 1990, Revision of the fish family Siganidae... Indo-Pacific Fishes 19. Mangaia: specimen, College, 9/2000, ID GMcC. Atiu: field-specimen, College collection, 10/2000, ID GMcC. Aitutaki: fieldsight, lagoon, 12/2000, GMcC. Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004.

References:
text p.251 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 132b Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.435 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.597 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 129-04 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 93-14 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 895 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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