Common parrotfish

Scarus psittacus, the common parrotfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish, in the family Scaridae. Other common names for this species include the palenose parrotfish, Batavian parrotfish and the rosy-cheek parrotfish. It has a wide distribution in the Indo-Pacific region where it is associated with coral reefs. This species is utilised as food. It is the type species of the genus Scarus.

Habitat

Scarus psittacus is a common and typical species of reef fronts, as well as more sheltered areas of reefs and of lagoons. It occurs to a depth of 30 metres (98 ft). It can be encountered in small schools foraging over corals, reef flats in lagoons and on seaward reefs which have an abundant growth of the filamentous algae on which it feeds. Like most species of parrotfish S. psittacus is a protogynous hermaphrodite and is sexually dichromatic. The population is made up of a few large, colourful territorial males called terminal phase who guard groups, or harems, of smaller, less colourful individuals termed initial phase. Most of the initial phase individuals are females but around a quarter of the initial phase individuals caught off Oahu were males. These males are "sneaker males" which attend the mating of the terminal phase males with the females and attempt to inseminate some of the eggs laid. The terminal phase males usually start life as females and when there is no terminal male available the dominant female in the harem transforms into a male. The initial phase males are male throughout their life, and occasionally they can become terminal phase individuals.

Distribution

Scarus psittacus is widespread in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, its distribution extends from the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Aden to Sodwana Bay, it ranges eastwards across the Indian Ocean and into the Pacific Ocean extending eastwards to Hawaii, north to southern Japan and south to Australia, as far as Shark Bay in Western Australia and Lord Howe Island.