Species: Scarus coelestinus, Midnight parrotfish
Scarus coelestinus Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1840
Midnight parrotfish
Body an elongate oval, somewhat compressed; teeth fused into a beak with two broad joined plates on each jaw, outer surface of plates smooth, not covered by lips; top jaw overlaps lower jaw at front; 1-2 canines on rear side of top jaw; large crushing plates of molar teeth form “pharyngeal mill” in throat; gill rakers 12-13; dorsal fin IX, 10, no notch between spines and rays; anal fin III, 9; pectoral II, 14 (1st spine very short); tail fin rounded in juveniles, W shaped edge in large adults with elongate lobes; scales large, smooth, 2-3 rows on cheek, lowest row of 2 scales; 6 scales on center of nape before dorsal fin; lateral line in 2 sections.
Both sexes and juvenile same color: black, centers of body scales bright blue; scaled parts of head black, unscaled parts bright blue, a blue bar between eyes; teeth blue-green.
Reaches 77 cm, 7 kg.
On reefs.
Depth range: 1-75 m; usually < 20 m.
Bermuda to Suriname. Its brazilian sister species is S. trispinosus.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef only
- Rocks
- Corals
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
-
- Herbivore
- Data
- Diet
-
- Data
- Benthic microalgae
- Benthic macroalgae/seagrasses
- Egg Type
-
- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- GC endemic
- Extends South of GC
- Island (s)
- All species
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Listed
- Data deficient
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 77
- Depth Range Min
-
- 1
- Depth Range Max
-
- 75
