YELLOWBARRED PARROTFISH
Scarus dimidiatus
Scarus dimidiatus Bleeker, 1859 Pectoral rays 14; median predorsal scales 5-6 (rarely 5); 3 rows of scales on cheek, the lower row with 1-4 scales; no conical teeth on side of dental plates; lips covering or nearly covering dental plates; caudal fin slightly rounded to truncate; body of initial phase light yellowish gray with 4 oblique yellow bars alternating with gray on about upper one-fourth of body, the bars less distinct posteriorly; head gray dorsally, pale yellowish below; median fins grayish yellow; pectoral fins with yellow rays; terminal males solid green on head above and posterior to eye, and on anterior body to below spinous portion of dorsal fin; rest of body green with lavender-pink edges or a bar on scales, shading to lavender on abdomen and chest; upper lip with a very broad blue-green border, the rest of snout lavender; chin very broadly blue-green, this color continuing dorsally and posteriorly as an irregular green band across head below eye; rest of cheek yellow, shading to lavender below; an irregular lavender stripe extending posteriorly from eye across operculum; unscaled part of caudal fin green; dental plates white; juveniles similar to initial phase. Reaches a maximum of about 30 cm. Ryukyu Islands south to Great Barrier Reef, east to Samoa Islands and islands of Micronesia except the Mariana Islands; type locality, Doreh, New Guinea. Usually found on shallow protected reefs of lagoons and bays; difficult to approach underwater.

NameYellowbarred parrotfish 

Max Size40.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 48636)

Environmentreef-associated; brackish; marine; depth range - 12 m

Climatetropical; 30°N - 24°S

DistributionWestern Pacific: Indonesia to Samoa, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to the Great Barrier Reef. Replaced by

MorphologyDorsal spines(total): 9; Dorsal soft rays(total): 10; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 9. Males recognized by the blue snout and band behind eye. Eastern form has blue cheek and western form has yellow cheek. Females grey to yellow with dusky saddle over back (Ref. 48636). Closely resembles S. oviceps and S. scaber. In S. oviceps, the initial phase has fewer, less vertical diagonal dark bars on the back and the terminal phase lacks the light-centered bar between the eye and the pectoral fin base, is darker and less brilliant blue on the upper head and back, and is usually larger.

BiologyInhabits coral-rich areas of clear, protected reefs (Ref. 9710). Feeds mainly on algae (Ref. 26993).

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

Scarus dimidiatus

Species (Scarus dimidiatus) 5

Genus (Scarus) 148

Family (Scaridae) 228

Location (Yap State) 112

Scarus dimidiatus

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