| Chlorurus gibbus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| male | |
 | |
| female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Labriformes |
| Family: | Scaridae |
| Genus: | Chlorurus |
| Species: | C. gibbus |
| Binomial name | |
| Chlorurus gibbus (Rüppell, 1829) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
Scarus gibbusRüppell, 1829 | |
Chlorurus gibbus, the heavybeak parrotfish, gibbus parrotfish or Red Sea steephead parrotfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish from the family Scaridae. It is found in the Red Sea.
Chlorurus gibbus is a large species of parrotfish which can attain a total length of 70 centimetres (28 in) and a weight of 2.2 kilograms (4.9 lb). [3] The solitary juveniles are marked with longitudinal black and white stripes, the adults are blue in colour with a green and purple sheen in the males and a yellow sheen in the females. [4]
Chlorurus gibbus is endemic to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. It has not been recorded in the Gulf of Aden where the closely related species Chlorurus strongylocephalus has been recorded. A report of C. gibbus from Socotra requires verification. [1]
Chlorurus gibbus occurs in shallow reefs and in nearby areas of sandy substrate in lagoons and bays at depths between 2–30 metres (6.6–98.4 ft). [1] The adults school over the outer reef where there is an abundant growth of algae. They graze on filamentous algae. [5] They have been recorded as attaining 14 years of age. [3] They are protogynous hermaphrodites and have a social structure consisting of harems with a single dominant male. However, they are not territorial and will live and feed alongside peaceably with other species. The teeth of parrotfish are fused together to form a powerful beak which they use to graze on filamentous algae growing on dead coral, often found feeding among a cloud of sediment. [5] They are oviparous and the male and female form a pair to spawn. [2] During the night they create a bag from mucus and bubbles which provides protection from nocturnal predators. [5]
Chlorurus gibbus was first formally described as Scarus gibbus in 1829 by the German naturalist and explorer Eduard Rüppell (1794-1884), the type locality was given as Al Muwaylih, Tabuk Province in Saudi Arabia. [6] When Swainson created the genus Chlorurus in 1839 he designated Scarus gibbus is its type species. [7] C. gibbus along with C. strongylocephalus in the Indian Ocean and C. microrhinos in the west-central Pacific forms a species complex. [2]
Chlorurus gibbus is fished in the central Red Sea, in the Jeddah fish market it was shown to be a significant part of the parrotfish catch. [1]
Parrotfishes are a group of about 90 fish species regarded as a family (Scaridae), or a subfamily (Scarinae) of the wrasses. With about 95 species, this group's largest species richness is in the Indo-Pacific. They are found in coral reefs, rocky coasts, and seagrass beds, and can play a significant role in bioerosion.
Sparisoma is a genus of parrotfishes native to warmer parts of the Atlantic. FishBase recognizes 15 species in this genus, including S. rocha described from Trindade Island in 2010 and S. choati described from the East Atlantic in 2012. They are the most important grazers of algae in the Caribbean Sea, especially since sea urchins, especially Diadema, the other prominent consumers of algae, have been reduced in many places by a recent epidemic.
The marbled parrotfish, also known as the seagrass parrotfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish from the family Scaridae and is the only known member of the genus Leptoscarus. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution and is also found in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean. It is a coastal species found in beds of sea grass and seaweed.
Scarus is a genus of parrotfishes. With 52 currently recognised extant species, it is by far the largest genus in this family. The vast majority are found at reefs in the Indo-Pacific, but a small number of species are found in the warmer parts of the eastern Pacific and the western Atlantic, with a single species, Scarus hoefleri in the eastern Atlantic. Most are very colourful, and have strikingly different initial and terminal phases. Adults of most species reach maximum lengths of between 30 and 50 cm (12–20 in), but the rainbow parrotfish can grow to lengths of 1.2 m (3.9 ft).
The princess parrotfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish, in the family Scaridae. It is typically 20 to 25 centimetres long, found in the Caribbean, South Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Its behavior, similar to other parrotfishes, is to swim about the reef and sandy patches during the day, at depths between 3 and 25 metres, scraping algae on which it feeds.
The rusty parrotfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish belonging to the family Scaridae. It is associated with reefs in the north western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.
Chlorurus bowersi, Bower's parrotfish or the orange-blotch parrotfish, is a species of ray-finned fish, a parrotfish from the family Scaridae. It is found in the Western Pacific Ocean from the Ryukyu Islands of Japan in the north to Java, Papua and the Philippines in the south, and east to Micronesia. This species is found in reef flats and fronts in sheltered areas or where there is moderate exposure to the currents or waves. This is a relatively small parrotfish generally found in pairs which excavates burrows. It feeds on filamentous algae. Chlorurus bowersi was first formally described as Callyodon bowersi in 1909 by the American ichthyologist John Otterbein Snyder (1867-1943) and the type locality was given as Naha, Okinawa, Japan. The specific name honours the former United States Commissioner of Fisheries George Meade Bowers (1863-1925).
Chlorurus sordidus, known commonly as the daisy parrotfish or bullethead parrotfish, is a species of marine fish in the family Scaridae.
Chlorurus is a genus of parrotfish from the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Sparisoma chrysopterum is a species of parrotfish.
Scarus altipinnis, the filament-finned parrotfish, high-fin parrotfish or mini-fin parrotfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish from the family Scaridae. It occurs in the tropical and subtropical Western Pacific Ocean.
Chlorurus microrhinos, the blunt-head parrotfish or steephead parrotfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish from the family Scaridae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Calotomus carolinus, commonly known as Carolines parrotfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish, in the family Scaridae. It is also known as the starry-eye parrotfish, stareye parrotfish, bucktooth parrotfish, Christmas parrotfish or marbled parrotfish. Since the Calotomus carolinus is known across the Pacific,it also has its own name in many native languages for example, it is called a panuhunuhunu in the Hawaiian language.
Scarus quoyi, commonly known as Quoy's or greenblotch parrotfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish, in the family Scaridae. It is native to the western Pacific Ocean, where it lives in coral reefs. The species can grow to a length of up to 40 cm.
Scarus prasiognathos, the Singapore parrotfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish, in the family Scaridae. It is native to the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans, where it lives in coral reefs.
Chlorurus strongylocephalus, commonly known as the steephead parrotfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish from the family Scaridae which is native to the Indian Ocean, where it lives in coral reefs. Its range extends from the Gulf of Aden and Socotra down the coast of East Africa as far south as Mozambique and across the Indian Ocean to western Indonesia. It forms a species complex with Chlorurus gibbus of the Red Sea and Chlorurus microrhinos of the west-central Pacific.
Chlorurus capistratoides, commonly known as the Indian parrotfish or the pink-margined parrotfish, is a marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish from the family Scaridae. This species is native to the eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean, where it lives in coral reefs. This species occurs in small schools, frequently mixed in with other fish species, these schools forage over corals in clear coastal and inner reefs where there is abundant algal and coral growth. It feeds on filamentous algae.
Chlorurus spilurus, known commonly as the Pacific daisy parrotfish or Pacific bullethead parrotfish and in Hawaiian called uhu, is a species of marine fish in the family Scaridae. The Pacific daisy parrotfish is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the Pacific.
Scarus fuscopurpureus, common name purple-brown parrotfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish in the family Scaridae. It occurs in the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.
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.
