STEEPHEAD PARROTFISH
Chlorurus microrhinos
(Bleeker, 1854) Pectoral rays 15-17 (usually 16); median predorsal scales 4; 3 rows of scales on cheek, the lower row with 1-8 (usually 5 or 6) scales; adults with 1 or 2 conical teeth on side of upper dental plate; dental plates broadly exposed, often with algae growing basally; dorsal profile of snout and forehead of adults very steep (the forehead may bulge anterior to mouth in large males); caudal fin of juveniles slightly rounded, of adults truncate with prolonged lobes; adults of both sexual phases green with a pink bar on each scale of body (lost in large males); a blue-green band on upper lip, and a broader one on chin joining posteriorly to an irregular band across cheek; head above this band purplish; dental plates blue-green; an occasional color morph red, shading to yellow ventrally, with yellow fins; juveniles dark brown with 3 narrow, pale yellowish stripes. Reaches 70 cm. Ryukyu Islands and Ogasawara Islands to the Great Barrier Reef, Lord Howe Island, and New Caledonia, east to the islands of Oceania except the Hawaiian Islands and Easter Island; type locality, Java. Often misidentified as Chlorurus gibbus (Rüppell), now restricted to the Red Sea. The similar C. strongylocephalus (Bleeker) occurs in the Indian Ocean east to western Indonesia.

NameSteephead parrotfish 

Max Size70.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 2334); max. published weight: 5,400 g (Ref. 37816)

Environmentreef-associated; marine; depth range 1 - 35 m

Climatetropical; 30°N - 32°S

DistributionPacific Ocean: Bali and the Philippines to the Line and Pitcairn islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Rottnest Island, Lord Howe Island and Rapa Island (Ref. 37816). The species complex comprise of

MorphologyDorsal spines(total): 9; Dorsal soft rays(total): 10; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 9. Juveniles below about 8 cm are black with several horizontal white streaks. Larger ones up to about 20 cm uniformly dark, greenish brown, slowly becoming blue with age. Blue streak and patch extending behind the corner of the mouth of large males often quite brilliant. Uniformly yellowish-tan individuals rare. Caudal fin lunate in large terminal males. Scale rows on cheek 3. Median predorsal scales 3-4 (Ref. 37816). Males develop large hump on head and appear blunt-headed (Ref. 48636).

BiologyOccurs in lagoon and seaward reefs. Juveniles generally solitary; large adults often school together.

Fishbase Credit - Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2005.FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (06/2005).

Chlorurus microrhinos

Species (Chlorurus microrhinos) 13

Genus (Chlorurus) 67

Family (Scaridae) 228

Location (Tubbataha Reef) 451

Chlorurus microrhinos

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