SCARUS SPINUS - (KNER, 1868)
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Labriformes (Order) > Labroidei (Suborder) > Labridae (Family) > Scarus (Genus)
Poisson perroquet à nez vert, Greensnout parrotfish, Pygmy parrotfish, Spiny parrotfish, Yellowhead parrotfish, Shiro-obi-budai, シロオビブダイ, 鹦哥, 刺鹦嘴鱼,
Synonymes
Callyodon kelloggi (Jordan & Seale, 1906)
Callyodon kelloggii (Jordan & Seale, 1906)
Pseudoscarus spinus (Kner, 1868)
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Description
Etymology
Scarus: from Latin, scarus = scare, or sea fish (scare is the generic vernacular name of parrot fish). The Latin word is derived from the Greek, skaros, in the same sense. The Greeks knew this family through Sparisoma cretense (Linnaeus, 1758), present on their coasts, Aristotle describes the viscera. The genus was first described by Pehr Forsskål in 1775.
spinus: from Latin, spīna, -ae = thorn-bush, black-thorn, sloe-tree. Referring to single conical tooth on side of lower dental plate in females (1-2 on both plates in terminal-phase males).
Original description: Pseudoscarus spinus Kner, 1868 - Type locality: Kandavu Island, Fiji Islands.
Distribution
Eastern Indian Ocean, western Pacific: Christmas Island (Indian Ocean); Central Indonesia, east to Micronesia, Fiji and Samoa, north to Ryukyu Islands and Ogasawara Islands (Japan), south to Australia and New Caledonia.
Biology
Inhabits coral-rich areas of outer lagoon and seaward reefs. Usually solitary. Females usually in small groups with a male nearby; They may mix with females of similar species. An uncommon fish patchily distributed through much of its range. Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding. Feeds mainly on algae.
Poisson perroquet à nez vert, Greensnout parrotfish, Pygmy parrotfish, Spiny parrotfish, Yellowhead parrotfish, Shiro-obi-budai, シロオビブダイ, 鹦哥, 刺鹦嘴鱼,
Synonymes
Callyodon kelloggi (Jordan & Seale, 1906)
Callyodon kelloggii (Jordan & Seale, 1906)
Pseudoscarus spinus (Kner, 1868)
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Description
Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 9; Pectoral fin rays: 13-14 (usually: 14). Median predorsal scales: 3-5 (usually: 4), anterior scale may be small and embedded; Directly anterior to first median scale (hence above posterior part of eye) a transverse pair of smaller scales which overlap medially in mid-dorsal line, these not counted as median predorsals; Rows of scales on cheek: 3, upper row: 5-7 scales (usually: 5), middle row: 5-7 scales, ventral row: 1-2 (usually: 2) scales; Caudal fin of initial phase slightly rounded to truncate, of terminal phase moderately to deeply emarginate; Dental plates covered by lips; Adults in initial phase generally with no canines on upper dental plate and 1 on lower; Terminal phase fish with 1-2 upper canines and 1-2 lowers, the lowermost (when there are 2) very large and projecting diagonally backward. Shape of front of head of terminal phase distinctive, being bluntly rounded, dorsal and ventral profiles being almost identical. Heads of initial phase fish not as obtuse. Max. length: 30.0 cm TL. Depth range: 2 - 25 m.
Color
Initial phase: body dark brown with distinctive velvety appearance, shading on side of head and vent rally on head and body to reddish brown; Body with 4-5 indistinct pale bars 1-2 scales in width (bars formed by pale central parts of scales), first beneath 3rd to 4th dorsal spines, 2nd below 8th dorsal spine, 3rd below 3rd-4th dorsal rays, 4th below 8th-9th dorsal rays, and 5th, when visible, crossing caudal peduncle; Fins reddish brown except membranes of about lower 2/3 of pectoral fins which are pale; Dental plates white. In life, pale bars may appear almost white; Fish can turn this pattern on and off rapidly.
Terminal phase: scales of body green, narrowly edged in rose; Most of upper lip and snout above it chartreuse; Operculum and cheek yellow to yellowish; Broad zone of blue-green from interorbital down side of snout to lower lip and chin; Nape green; Large individuals may have pale rose to violet streak passing ventrally from front of eye; Upper lip narrowly salmon (though this color may not be continuous along entire margin); Two large curved transverse salmon bands on chin, uppermost nearly reaching margin of lower lip and ending just below corner of mouth; Dorsal and anal fins with basal band of green, median band of salmon, and margin of blue; Unscaled part of caudal fin with blue lobes, each containing median streak of salmon to orange, broad hemispherical posterior part of fin green; Upper half of pectorals blue-green with streak of rose, lower half greenish shading to pale distally; Pelvic fins blue to blue-green with broad band of orange submarginal to lateral edge.
Terminal phase: scales of body green, narrowly edged in rose; Most of upper lip and snout above it chartreuse; Operculum and cheek yellow to yellowish; Broad zone of blue-green from interorbital down side of snout to lower lip and chin; Nape green; Large individuals may have pale rose to violet streak passing ventrally from front of eye; Upper lip narrowly salmon (though this color may not be continuous along entire margin); Two large curved transverse salmon bands on chin, uppermost nearly reaching margin of lower lip and ending just below corner of mouth; Dorsal and anal fins with basal band of green, median band of salmon, and margin of blue; Unscaled part of caudal fin with blue lobes, each containing median streak of salmon to orange, broad hemispherical posterior part of fin green; Upper half of pectorals blue-green with streak of rose, lower half greenish shading to pale distally; Pelvic fins blue to blue-green with broad band of orange submarginal to lateral edge.
Etymology
Scarus: from Latin, scarus = scare, or sea fish (scare is the generic vernacular name of parrot fish). The Latin word is derived from the Greek, skaros, in the same sense. The Greeks knew this family through Sparisoma cretense (Linnaeus, 1758), present on their coasts, Aristotle describes the viscera. The genus was first described by Pehr Forsskål in 1775.
spinus: from Latin, spīna, -ae = thorn-bush, black-thorn, sloe-tree. Referring to single conical tooth on side of lower dental plate in females (1-2 on both plates in terminal-phase males).
Original description: Pseudoscarus spinus Kner, 1868 - Type locality: Kandavu Island, Fiji Islands.
Distribution
Eastern Indian Ocean, western Pacific: Christmas Island (Indian Ocean); Central Indonesia, east to Micronesia, Fiji and Samoa, north to Ryukyu Islands and Ogasawara Islands (Japan), south to Australia and New Caledonia.
Biology
Inhabits coral-rich areas of outer lagoon and seaward reefs. Usually solitary. Females usually in small groups with a male nearby; They may mix with females of similar species. An uncommon fish patchily distributed through much of its range. Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding. Feeds mainly on algae.
Similar species
Scarus dubius (Bennett, 1828) - Reported from Central Pacific: Johnston Atoll, Hawaiian Ridge and Hawaiian Islands.
Scarus viridifucatus (Smith, 1956) - Reported from Southern Red Sea; Indian Ocean: East Africa, Seychelles, Madagascar and Mascarenes (Mauritius), east to Myanmar and Bali (Indonesia).
Scarus schlegeli (Bleeker, 1861) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here). Small individuals of Scarus schlegeli may be confused with initial phase of Scarus spinus.
Last update: 8, May 2023