Midnight parrotfish
Scarus coelestinus
Valenciennes, 1840
Description:
Parrotfish owe their name to the shape of their mouth. Instead of teeth they have two beak-like plates, like parrots. They have even rows of large, noticeable scales on their bodies.
All phases are essentially the same in appearance: body navy blue with bright blue markings on the head. Body scales occasionally with light blue centers.
Size up to 77 cm.
Habitat:
They swim about reefs using their pectoral fins; the tail is only used for burst of speed. They use their 'beaks' to scrape algae and polyps from corals and rocks. They are often seen defecating, what looks like white clouds, which consists mainly of coral limestone. Most common between 5 and 75 m.
Like the wrasses, the parrotfishes have two types of reproductive behavior. The younger and not so colorful males fertilize together with other males the eggs of one single female, while colorful, large males have each their own territory where one male fertilizes one female.
Distribution:
Occasional Florida, Bahamas and Caribbean. |
