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Belonoperca pylei

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult specimen (Rarotonga)	33KB

General Information

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Cook Islands (possibly disjunct to Philippines)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Endemic of Cooks; A new species discovered by Richard Pyle and Charles Boyle with deep diving apparatus - 70-120m. PLUS: ; Marine, near-shore, lower outer-reef slope, 50m+

KEY FEATURES: A small fish, moderately elongate, to 70mm S.L. Head long and tapering, with a large eye and protruding lower jaw; forward Dorsal Fin with long strong protruding spines (9), posterior Dorsal rounded; tail square. Head yellow, which continues back dorsally to mid-body; sides of body with 3-5 irregular rows of large orange spots separated by rosy white outlines; fins mainly translucent pale yellow.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group:
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

Belonoperca pylei Baldwin & Smith, 1998
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Percoidei; Percoidea; SERRANIDAE, Grammistinae

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: 5 specimens, Richard Pyle and Charles Boyle, 1989-91, at 70-120m.

References:
Special Reference: Baldwin, C.C. and Smith, W.L. 1998 Belonoperca pylei, a new species of seabass (Teleostei: Serranidae: Epinephelini: Diploprionini) from the Cook Islands with comments on relationships among diploprionins. Ichthyol. Res. 45(4):325-339.

Data Update History (information):
zB02, zM06a, 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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