Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Bodianus bilunulatus

Saddleback Hogfish

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult and juvenile (Hawai‘i)	43KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Saddleback Hogfish, Tarry Hogfish, Blackspot Wrasse, Crescent Banded Hogfish, Table Boss; French Vieille à Selle Noire, Vieille à ceinture Noire

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - PNG, n. to s.Japan; also Cooks - Pitcairn, Hawai‘i

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group. (RR) Rare. PLUS: Photo (Sims); Marine, near-shore, outer reef-slope, below 25m

KEY FEATURES: To 55cm SL. Appearance changes with growth. JUVENILE cream with yellow upper body with fine red-brown stripes; wide black band on posterior body, tail-base white. ADULT (females, and possibly younger males) white with brown stripes on face and body; black saddle-spot on front of tail-base. LARGER MALES mainly blotched red-brown to purple-brown.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Hawaii population is a subspecies, and Randall images show that subspecies. Blackfin Hogfish (Bodianus loxozonus) has black Pelvic Fin (vs. not black), adult Anal Fin is black edged (vs. pale).

Enlarged Image of 'Bodianus bilunulatus'

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

Scientific Taxonomy

Bodianus bilunulatus (Lacepède, 1801)
SYNONYMS: Labrus bilunulatus [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Labroidei; LABRIDAE, Hypsigenyini

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: Photo 30m depth Nikao ID N.Sims confirmed J.E.Randall (Sims88).

References:
text p.177? Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.429 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 90-06 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 70-06 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. p403 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.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List