Bicolour parrotfish
Cetoscarus bicolor
Forsten's parrotfish
Scarus forsteni
About
Forsten's parrotfish, also called the whitespot parrotfish, is a large reef grazer that scrapes algae off rock and coral with a beak-like mouth. It grows up to 55 cm and can weigh as much as 2.5 kg.
Also known as: forsten's parrotfish, princess parrotfish, rainbow parrotfish, tricolor parrotfish, whitespot parrotfish, rainbow parrotfish, whitespot parrotfish, princess parrotfish, forsten parrotfish, tricolour parrotfish, tricolor parrotfish, bluepatch parrotfish, forsten's parrotfish
- Length
- 55 cm
- Weight
- max 2.5 kg
- Depth
- up to 30 m
How to tell it apart
Female parrotfish of different species can look alike; on this one, look for a small pale spot sitting above a diffuse blue-green patch on the mid-side, the mark that gives it its other name, whitespot parrotfish.
Appearance
Males are green with pink-edged scales, sometimes with pink covering much of the body, a green band around the mouth that extends below the eye, and a violet patch on the upper head. Females are pale grey with a broad yellowish-brown zone along the middle of the side and a dark band running from the eye to the base of the pectoral fin, the paired fin behind the gills.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
