Scientific Classification
- Common Name
- queen parrotfish
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Osteichthyes
- Order
- Perciformes
- Family
- Scaridae
- Genus Species
- Scarus vetula
Fast Facts
- Description
- Supermale form has a green to blue-green body with a turquoise stripe along the tip of the single dorsal fin. Vibrant turquoise markings are found around mouth. Caudal fin exhibits central turquoise crescent. Solid (truncate) caudal fin. Adult form has a charcoal body with a broad white stripe running along the mid-section. Additionally, lower head may exhibit lighter coloration. Juvenile form has a white body with three black stripes running from head to tail (very similar to juvenile rainbow parrotfish, Scarus guacamaia).
Male: Supermale: 30.5 to 40.6 cm (12 to 16 in.) avg.; 61.0 cm (2 ft.) max
- Size
- Adult: 15.2 to 25.4 cm (6 to 10 in.); 30.5 cm (12 in.) max
- Diet
- Algae (scraped from rocks and/or coral)
- Incubation
- Species exhibits protogyny. Fertilization is external. Species is open water/substratum egg scatterer.
- Range
- Western Atlantic: Bermuda, Florida, and Bahamas to northern South America
- Habitat
- 3 to 25 meters (10 to 82 ft) in tropical & sub-tropical marine coastal waters
- Population
- GLOBAL No data
- Status
- IUCN: Not listed
CITES: Not listed
USFWS: Not listed
Fun Facts
- The queen parrotfish secretes a mucus cocoon in which it sleeps at night. The cocoon acts to isolate the scent of the parrotfish, making it less vulnerable to predators.
- For more information about bony fishes, explore the Bony Fishes InfoBook.
Ecology and Conservation
No data
Bibliography
Bond, Carl E. Biology of Fishes - Second Edition. Saunders College Publishing, 1996.
Humann, Paul. Reef Fish Identification - Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. New World Publications, Inc., 1992.
fishbase.org
