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Pterois volitans

Tātarai‘au

Lionfish

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult	47KB
Video:	on Rarotonga (© Karl Traylor)	255KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Lionfish, Red Firefish, Turkeyfish, Scorpion-Cod, Ornate Butterfly-Cod, Lionfish; German Pazifischer Rotfeuerfisch; French Poisson-lion, Rascasse Volante, Rascasse-poule

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tātarai‘au (RR AK), Tātaraiau (AT), Tātarāmoa (MT), Nohu (TS TW); Other Polynesian - Tataraihau (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Pitcairn Group; n. to s.Japan; s. to Kermadecs

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group - RR, rare. PLUS: Rare but recorded at 33m off RR (Sims).; Marine, near-shore, outer slope

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Poisonous spines - serious

KEY FEATURES: To 30cm SL.(RM91) [ 38cm - GBR]

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Pests & Hosts

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Relationship	Hosts
Venomous - spines	Homo sapiens,

Scientific Taxonomy

Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758)
SYNONYMS: Gasterosterus volitans

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Scorpaeniformes; Scorpaenoidei; SCORPAENIDAE, Pteroinae

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: pair photographed 33m off Nikao Sims, ID confirmed Randall (Sims88).

References:
text p.98 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 24a Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.80 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.142 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 20-04 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 18-06 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 1000 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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