Species: Scarus coeruleus, Blue parrotfish
Scarus coeruleus (Bloch, 1786)
Blue parrotfish
Body an elongate oval, somewhat compressed; large males with a strong hump on snout; 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 31-50; dorsal fin IX, 10, no notch between spines and rays; anal fin III, 9; pectoral II, 12-13 (1st spine very short); tail fin rounded in juveniles, concave edge in large adults with elongate lobes; scales large, smooth, 3 rows on cheek, lowest row of 2 scales; 6 scales on center of nape before dorsal fin; lateral line in 2 sections.
Juveniles: pale blue, upper head, top of front of back and spiny dorsal yellow. Adults: deep blue or green-blue, with a broad grey area on cheek.
Reaches 120 cm.
On reefs.
Depth range: 2-25 m.
Maryland to the S Caribbean.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Rocks
- Reef and soft bottom
- Corals
- Sand & gravel
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Data
- Herbivore
- Diet
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- Data
- Benthic microalgae
- Benthic macroalgae/seagrasses
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic larva
- Data
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
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- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- All species.
- Regional Endemism
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- Island (s)
- All species..
- Continent + Island (s)
- Extends North of GC
- GC endemic
- Continent
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Temperate (>35N)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 120
- Depth Range Min
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- 2
- Depth Range Max
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- 25
