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Sphyraena helleri

Tī‘ene‘ene (MK)

Sharpfin Barracuda

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Sharpfin Barracuda, Barracouta [alt. spelling], Cheekflap Barracuda, Japanese Barracuda; German Pfeil-Barrakuda

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Ono Tetu? (RR), Tī‘ene‘ene (MK), Ono (MT), Ono / Tarā Ono < Tātua Ono < Ono (AK), Tātū (TS TW PK), Tetū (MH); COMMENT: In Manihiki Ono have no banding, while Tetu have dark banding - name not necessarily species-specific.

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Tuamotus, Hawai‘i; n. to s.Japan; s. to Norfolk

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, pelagic

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Injurous bite - serious

KEY FEATURES: Small barracuda to 80cmSL, with 1-2 narrow bronzy stripes. Dark silver-olive above, silver lower sides and belly; 1-2 narrow golden stripes on mid-sides. Fins clear or pale grey; except the forked tail, dark grey. 1 (one) conspicuous gill raker in bend of first gill arch.

SIMILAR SPECIES: This is the only species with ONE Gill Raker, others have Zero or Two. Also 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		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 helleri Jenkins, 1901
SYNONYMS: Sphyraena acutipinnis

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

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: field specimens overnight gillnets Avatiu & Ngatangiia pass. ID N.Sims as Sphyraena helleri (Sims88); fieldspecimen+photo, Fish market, 12/2000, ID GMc - definitely only 1 golden stripe. Tongareva: as Sphyraena novaehollandiae (Preston95) Re-ID Tony Lewis2/2000 pers. comm. to GMc. Manihiki: A685-1specimen as Sphyraena helleri (B&M74) ID confirmed J.E.Randall as S. helleri (Sims88). Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004. Suwarrow: field ID N.Sims as Sphyraena helleri (Sims88 & EIA99).

References:
text p.201 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 112c Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.292 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
plate 111-06?? Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes

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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