Species: Sparisoma axillare, Redeye parrotfish
Sparisoma axillare (Steindachner, 1878)
Redeye parrotfish
Body elongate, somewhat compressed; head relatively blunt, rounded in TP; convex between eyes; flap at front nostril tall, with >10 cirri in adult; teeth fused into a beak with broad plates, outer surface of plates rough with individual teeth visible, partly covered by lips; front edge of top jaw inside front edge of lower jaw when mouth is closed; 1-2 canines on rear side of top jaw; large crushing plates of molar teeth form “pharyngeal mill” in throat; gill rakers 12-16; dorsal fin IX, 10, spine membranes with many cirri, no notch between spines and rays; anal fin III, 9; tail fin slightly concave in IP, strongly concave with long filamentous lobes in TP; scales large, smooth, 1 row on cheek, 4 scales on center of nape before dorsal fin; lateral line in 2 sections.
Initial phase: pale brown; iris red; anal and pelvic fins reddish; a large area of yellow blotches along mid flank and upper belly; a dark blotch on upper pectoral base. Terminal phase: head and body grey brown; lower head whitish, snout and cheek may be red-brown; iris yellow to reddish; a dark stripe along mid flank; pectoral fin yellow, with a black spot at upper base; a yellow blotch on body above that black spot; dorsal and anal fins yellow; tail fin with dark grey base that merges into black lobes, a red area in center rear of fin, with a whitish rear edge.
Reaches 43 cm.
On reefs.
Depth range: 1-54 m.
Primarily Brazil, but also the SE Caribbean.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Rocks
- Reef and soft bottom
- Corals
- Submerged vegetation
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Herbivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Detritus
- Benthic microalgae
- Benthic macroalgae/seagrasses
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- All species.
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent only
- Continent
- GC non-endemic
- Extends South of GC
- Also in Brazil
- All species..
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Data deficient
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 54
- Length Max
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- 43
