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Symplectoteuthis oualaniensis

Purpleback Flying-Squid

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Squid, Rarotonga	43KB
Image:	Squid with tentacle details (b&w illustration)	77KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Purpleback Flying-Squid, Large Purpleback Flying-Squid, Luminous Purpleback Flying-Squid

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Mu‘eke (RR)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE w.Pacific to e.Pacific, from 45°N to 30°S

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, Oceanic

KEY FEATURES: Body cylindrical 25cm long 8cm diam., with broad fleshy fins. Red-brown with wide mid-dorsal purplish stripe; pale anteodorsal photophore. 8 arms 12cm long, 2 tentacles 32cm.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Symplectoteuthis oulaniensis covers two species, but probably more correctly refers to the larger type with the dorsal photophore. The Rarotonga specimen had the dorsal photophore.

Enlarged Image of 'Symplectoteuthis oualaniensis'

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

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

Symplectoteuthis oualaniensis (Lesson, 1830)
SYNONYMS: Loligo oualaniensis; Ommastrephes oceanicus; Loligo vanicoriensis

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; MOLLUSCA; CEPHALOPODA; COLEOIDA; Teuthoidea; Oegopsida; OMMASTREPHIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: dead ashore, Avarua, June98, Ian Bertram & Kori Raumea, photos GM, ID Jean McKinnon Otago University from beak, sucker-rings & photographs, female with photophore;

References:
None recorded.

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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