Parrotfish are mostly tropical, perciform marine fish of the family Scaridae. Abundant on shallow reefs of the Red Sea, Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, the parrotfish family contains ten genera and about 90 species. Families many, see text The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, include about 40% of all fish and are the largest order of vertebrates. ... For other uses, see Fish (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Reef (disambiguation). ... Location of the Red Sea The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. ... Atlantic and North Atlantic redirect here. ...

The renowned marine biologist Dr Andrew Lennox of the University of Parmalat has done extensive research into the Parrot Fish of the Great Barrier Reef Region.

Parrotfish are named for their oral dentition; their numerous teeth are arranged in a tightly packed mosaic on the external surface of the jaw bones, forming a parrot-like beak which is used to rasp algae from coral and other rocky substrates (a process called bioerosion). Many species are also brightly coloured in shades of blue, green, red and yellow, but are not especially popular in aquaria. Although they are considered to be herbivores, parrotfish eat a wide variety of organisms that live on coral reefs. Some species, for example Bolbometopon muricatum may include corals (polyps) in their diet. Their feeding activity is important for the production and distribution of coral sands in the reef biome and can prevent algae from choking coral. The teeth grow continuously, making it hard to curb overgrowth in the aquarium. Ingested during feeding, coral rock is ground up by the pharyngeal teeth. After they digest this it is excreted as sand thus at times creating small islands and the idyllic sandy beaches of the bahamas and caribbean. Systematics (but see below) Family Cacatuidae (cockatoos) Subfamily Microglossinae (Palm Cockatoo) Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae (dark cockatoos) Subfamily Cacatuinae (white cockatoos) Family Psittacidae (true parrots) Subfamily Loriinae (lories and lorikeets) Subfamily Psittacinae (typical parrots and allies) Tribe Arini (American psittacines) Tribe Cyclopsitticini (fig parrots) Tribe Micropsittini (pygmy parrots) Tribe Nestorini (kakas and... For the programming language, see algae (programming language). ... Bioerosion describes the erosion of hard ocean substrates by living organisms by a number of mechanisms. ... Aquarium is also the name of the Russian band, which is also spelled Akvarium A 335,000 gallon (1. ... A deer and two fawns feeding on some foliage A herbivore is often defined as any organism that eats only plants[1]. By that definition, many fungi, some bacteria, many animals, about 1% of flowering plants and some protists can be considered herbivores. ... Binomial name Bolbometopon muricatum (Valenciennes, 1840) The green humphead parrotfish, Bolbometopon muricatum, is a species of parrotfish, the only member of the genus Bolbometopon, found on reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea in the west to Samoa in the east, and from the Yaeyama Islands... Extant Subclasses and Orders Alcyonaria    Alcyonacea    Helioporacea Zoantharia    Antipatharia    Corallimorpharia    Scleractinia    Zoanthidea [1][2]  See Anthozoa for details For other uses, see Coral (disambiguation). ... Anatomy of a coral polyp. ... A biome is a climatically and geographically defined area of ecologically similar communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, often referred to as ecosystems. ...

Maximum sizes vary widely within the family, from 20 cm (TL) in the smallest species, such as the green parrotfish (Leptoscarus viagiensis) to 1.5 m (TL) in the largest species, the bumphead parrotfish ( Bolbometopon muricatum). A commercial fishery exists for some of the larger tropical species. Their meat is rarely consumed in the US; however, it is considered a delicacy in many other parts of the world. Their bodies are deep, with large, thick cycloid scales, large pectoral fins and homocercal tail fins. The pectorals are the parrotfish's primary means of locomotion, the tail only used when speed is required. Some parrotfish females can turn into male parrotfish. Binomial name Bolbometopon muricatum (Valenciennes, 1840) The green humphead parrotfish, Bolbometopon muricatum, is a species of parrotfish, the only member of the genus Bolbometopon, found on reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea in the west to Samoa in the east, and from the Yaeyama Islands... A fishery (plural: fisheries) is an organized effort by humans to catch fish or other aquatic species, an activity known as fishing. ... Cycloid (red) generated by a rolling circle A cycloid is the curve defined by a fixed point on a wheel as it rolls, or, more precisely, the locus of a point on the rim of a circle rolling along a straight line. ...

Bicolor parrotfish (Cetoscarus bicolor)

Parrotfishes are diurnal and stay within shallow waters of no more than about 70 meters in depth. By night they cram themselves into crevices, some species secreting a thick coat of mucus, like a little surrounding bubble. The mucus is thought to mask their scent from nocturnal predators such as the moray eel and may serve to protect the fish from infection by parasites. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 396 KB) A male Bicolor Parrotfish (Cetoscarus bicolor) is at home on Indo-Pacific coral reefs. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 396 KB) A male Bicolor Parrotfish (Cetoscarus bicolor) is at home on Indo-Pacific coral reefs. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

It should also be noted that after a massive die-out of the sea urchins in the Caribbeans, parrotfish now are the main grazers in the area, the most common of which are Sparisoma viride and Scarus iseri. (Mumby and Wabnitz 2001)

The development of parrotfishes is complex and accompanied by a series of changes in coloration termed polychromatism. For most species, adult males and females have different colours, the females usually displaying drab tones of green, brown or grey, and the males vivid, conspicuous colours. In the mediterranean parrotfish (Sparisoma cretense), it is the females that have vivid coloration with the males being drab grey. In most species, the juveniles have a different colour pattern than the adults and some tropical species this juvenile coloration can be altered temporarily to mimic the appearance of other species. As the juveniles mature they enter what is termed the initial phase coloration during which they may change colour and sex. For most species, initial phase fishes are usually males that have the beginnings of the adult male coloration. However, initial phase fishes may include sexually mature females. The high variability in coloration of parrotfish has led to the different phases of many species being erroneously classified as different species in the past. Coloration is highly variable even among members of the same species. This "identity crisis" is shared by their close relatives, the wrasses of the family Labridae. Genera (60 genera) The wrasses are a family (family Labridae) of reef safe marine fish, many of which are brightly-colored and popular for aquaria. ...

A colourful parrotfish. Eilat, Israel

Grazing parrotfish of most tropical species form large schools grouped by size. Harems of several females presided over by a single male are the norm in other species, the males vigorously defending their status at any challenge. Curiously, if the dominant male of a harem is removed, one of the females will change sex and adopt the terminal male coloration. Parrotfish are pelagic spawners; that is, they release many tiny buoyant eggs into the water which become part of the plankton. The eggs float freely, settling into the substrate until hatching. Download high resolution version (1280x960, 520 KB)A colourful parrotfish, Eilat. ... Download high resolution version (1280x960, 520 KB)A colourful parrotfish, Eilat. ... This article is about the real-life under-sea organisms. ...

Protecting parrotfish is proposed as a way of saving Caribbean coral reefs from being overgrown with seaweed..^[1]

References

1. ^ BBC Parrotfish to aid reef repair 1 November 2007

is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Parrot Fish Profile from National Geographic
• Parrot Fish Care