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Sphyraena forsteri

Ono

Blackspot Barracuda

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Blackspot Barracuda, Bigeye Barracuda, Lesser Barracuda, Barracouta [alt. spelling]; German Brustfleck-Barrakuda; French Grande Bécune, Bécune de Forster

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Ono (RR), Punupunua ‘Ono (AT), Ono / Tarā Ono < Tātua Ono < Ono (AK), Tātū (TS TW PK), Tetu (MH); Other Polynesian - Tiatao (TAH), Tapato (TAH-L), Tiaene (TUA), Tapatu / Kaokao (MQA)

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

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Feeds at night, and during the day form school on teh outer reef slope. PLUS: ; Marine, pelagic

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Injurous bite - serious

KEY FEATURES: A small barracuda, to 65cm. Dark above and silvery sides and belly; blackish blotch at base of Pectorals; fins grey; 2nd Dorsal and Anal white tipped. Tail forked. 0 (zero) Gill Rakers.

SIMILAR SPECIES: See under Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda)

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Sphyraena forsteri Cuvier, 1829
SYNONYMS: Callospyraena toxeuma; Spyraena toxeuma [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Scombroidei; SPHYRAENIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen gillnet Avatiu pass. ID N.Sims (Sims88). Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004. Suwarrow: field specimens passage trolling squid lure ID N.Sims (Sims88 & EIA99); fieldspecimen+photo, 2004, Vince Kerr with ID as Sphyraena qenie;.

References:
text p.201 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 112e Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.292 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
plate 111-05 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
Species No. 272 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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