Content Details

Click to view full quality image

View HQ VideoView Video

Low Bandwidth
Chlorurus frontalis Tan-faced parrotfish      

Kingdom - Animalia - animals
   Phylum - Chordata - chordates
      Subphylum - Vertebrata - vertebrates
         Superclass - Osteichthyes - peixe ósseo
            Class - Actinopterygii - poissons à nageoires rayonnées
               Subclass - Neopterygii - neopterygians
                  Infraclass - Teleostei
                     Superorder - Acanthopterygii
                        Order - Perciformes - perch-like fishes
                           Suborder - Labroidei - poissons-perroquets
                              Family - Scaridae (Rafinesque, 1810) - poissons-perroquets
                                 Subfamily - Scarinae
                                    Genus - Chlorurus (Swainson, 1839)
                                       Species - Chlorurus frontalis (Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1840)
Jack Randall Information

Jack Randall Book Cover
Chlorurus frontalis
Chlorurus frontalis (Valenciennes in C & V, 1840) Pectoral rays 15; median predorsal scales 4; 2 rows of scales on cheek; adults with 2-4 conical teeth on side of upper dental plate; dental plates exposed, often with algae growing basally; dorsal profile of snout very steep; caudal fin of adults emarginate to lunate; unusual in not having 2 very different adult color patterns; green with a salmon pink bar on each scale; irregular salmon pink to lavender bands extending from eye except ventrally, a very broad one dorsally from eye and a broad oblique one onto snout; a similar broad band on chin. Reaches 50 cm. Ryukyu Islands to the Great Barrier Reef (where rare), east to islands of Micronesia, Line Islands, Tuamotu Archipelago, and Pitcairn Islands; type locality, Strong Island (= Kusiae), Caroline Islands. Appears to be absent from the islands of the East Indies; generally seen in small schools on reef flats. Pseudoscarus jonesi Streets is a synonym.


Fishbase Information (FISHBASE.ORG)

Tan-faced parrotfish 

50.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 2334)

reef-associated; marine; depth range - 40 m

tropical; 30°N - 25°S

Pacific Ocean: Ryukyu Islands to the Line and Ducie islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to the Great Barrier Reef.

Dorsal spines(total): 9; Dorsal soft rays(total): 10; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 9. Coloration changes slowly with growth. The light green patch on the caudal peduncle is present on individuals as small as 15 cm and the distinctive tan facial markings are on most individuals above 20 cm. Large males develop a near-vertical forehead profile and long lobes and a well-developed lunate caudal fin.

Often seen in small schools on exposed reef flats and seaward reefs (Ref. 1602).

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