Scarus coeruleus (Edwards, 1771)

Nomenclature

This species, known as the blue parrotfish with the scientific name Scarus coeruleus (Edwards, 1771), has a uniform blue body, paired with a yellow spot on the head that fades as the fish ages.

Adult Coloration

No other fish species has this uniform blue color in adult individuals.

Size

On average, blue parrotfish grow between 30 to 75 centimetres (12 to 30 inches) long, and reach a maximum length of 1.2 metres (3 feet 11 inches).

Weight

They typically weigh about 9.1 kilograms (20 lb).

Oral Structure

Like other parrotfish, blue parrotfish develop a large beak-like structure, which they use to scrape algae and small organisms off rocks.

Pharyngeal Teeth

They also have pharyngeal teeth that grind ingested rocks into sand.

Reef Habitat Depth

Blue parrotfish are found on coral reefs at depths of 2–25 m (9.8–82.0 ft) in the western Atlantic Ocean.

Geographic Range

Their range stretches from Maryland in the United States, through Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the West Indies, and extends south to Brazil.

Range Exclusion

They are absent from the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Juvenile Habitat

Juvenile blue parrotfish live in beds of turtle grass, Thalassia testudinum.

Food Source Dependency

Blue parrotfish depend heavily on coral reef systems to provide their various food sources.

Threat Status

Coral reef ecosystems are currently threatened, which has put blue parrotfish and many other reef species at risk of extinction due to lack of available food.

Reproductive Patterns Overview

Blue parrotfish reproduction follows two distinct patterns.

Summer Spawning Behavior

In summer, blue parrotfish gather in spawning groups.

Egg Release

After mating, females release their eggs into the water column, and the eggs then sink to the seabed.

Egg Hatching Timeline

Eggs hatch approximately twenty-five hours after being released.

Female Reproductive Traits

Two special reproductive traits are unique to female blue parrotfish.

Female Reproductive Details

There is an annual all-female group of immature individuals, and females in sexually mixed groups spawn year-round with no seasonal spawning pattern.