GREENSNOUT PARROTFISH
Scarus spinus
Scarus spinus (Kner, 1868) Pectoral rays 13-14 (rarely 13); median predorsal scales 3-5 (usually 4, the anterior scale may be small and embedded); a small pair of medial scales anterior to first predorsal scale; 3 rows of scales on cheek, the lower row with 1-2 (usually 2) scales; initial phase generally with 1 conical tooth on side of lower dental plate, and terminal males with 1 or 2 on both plates; dental plates covered by lips; head bluntly rounded, especially in terminal males; caudal fin of initial phase slightly rounded to truncate, of terminal males moderately to deeply emarginate; initial phase dark brown, shading ventrally to reddish brown, often with 4 or 5 indistinct pale bars 1-2 scales in width on body (due to whitish centers of scales within bars); terminal males green, the scale edges lavender-pink; top of head and snout green to yellowish green, shading ventrally on chin to blue-green, where 2 salmon pink areas are enclosed; cheek and postorbital head broadly yellow. Largest specimen, 30 cm. Ryukyu Islands to Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia, east to Fiji (type locality, Kandavu), the Samoa Islands, and Caroline Islands; Scott Reef off northwestern Australia. Often misidentified as Scarus formosus Valenciennes, a synonym of the Hawaiian S. dubius Bennett.

NameGreensnout parrotfish 

Max Size30.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 2334)

Environmentreef-associated; marine; depth range 2 - 25 m

Climatetropical; 30°N - 24°S

DistributionPacific Ocean: Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean (Ref. 30874), then from the Philippines to Samoa, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to the southern Great Barrier Reef.

MorphologyDorsal spines(total): 9; Dorsal soft rays(total): 10; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 9. Males distinct and head looks bright yellow underwater; females drab with white teeth and some pale spots (Ref. 48636). Scales large. 4 median predorsal scales; a transverse pair of smaller scales which overlap medially in mid-dorsal line located directly anterior to 1st median scale; 3 scale rows on cheek, lower row with 1-2 (usually 2) scales. Caudal fin slightly rounded to truncate in initial phase; moderately to deeply emarginate in terminal phase. Adults in initial phase without canines on upper plate, 1 on lower; terminal-phase fish with 1-2 canines on upper and lower plates. Lips largely or entirely cover dental plates.

BiologyInhabits coral-rich areas of outer lagoon and seaward reefs (Ref. 9710). Usually solitary (Ref. 9710). Females usually in small groups with a male nearby; they may mix with females of similar species (Ref. 48636). An uncommon fish patchily distributed through much of its range.

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

Scarus spinus

Species (Scarus spinus) 8

Genus (Scarus) 148

Family (Scaridae) 228

Location (Yap State) 112

Scarus spinus

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