Nicholsina usta
Emerald Parrotfish
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Scaridae (Parrotfishes)
Nicholsina
Nicholsina usta (Emerald Parrotfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Snout slightly acute; teeth fused only basally; anterior naris with simple dermal flap; dorsal profile of head evenly convex; nares close set and of similar size; outer row of large, flattened, and pointed teeth near symphysis; inner row of incisor-like teeth fused only at bases and bluntly pointed; canine teeth on sides of upper jaw in adults and large juveniles; preopercular margin membranous; gill membranes with narrow free fold across isthmus; 12 or 13 short gill rakers on first arch; head length 32%–36% SL; snout length 10%–17% SL; eye diameter 6%–7% SL; upper jaw length 8%–10% SL; pectoral fin length 19%–23% SL; body depth 31%–33% SL; pectoral fin with 13 rays; caudal fin truncate to slightly convex; body and part of head covered with scales; single row of scales on cheek; four or five median predorsal scales
Mottled olive green dorsally; scales on flank with reddish margins and bluish white centers; two diagonal reddish orange lines on cheek; yellow below mouth; median fins reddish; dorsal fin with black blotch anteriorly
Distribution
New Jersey and Bermuda to Florida Keys
Eastern and southern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical and warm temperate Atlantic, to a depth of 73 m; associated with turtle-grass beds and open bottom
Turtle-grass beds and open bottom
Biology
Maximum known size is 300 mm TL
Maximum depth from Ref. 52834. Inhabits seagrass beds and open bottom, mostly in shallow water. Larger adults live in deeper water. Not commonly marketed for food (Ref. 52834).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external. Distinct pairing (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2008-06-13. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941 (as Cryptotomus auropunctatus)
Schultz 1958a
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Hastings 1979
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Smith 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Westneat 2002b
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Randall, J.E. (1990) Scaridae. p. 883-887. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
Cervigón, F. (1994) Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 3. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 295 p.
Yáñes-Arancibia, A., A.L. Lara-Domínguez and J.W. Day Jr. (1993) Interactions between mangrove and seagrass habitats mediated by estuarine nekton assemblages: coupling of primary and secondary production. Hydrobiologia 264:1-12.
Westneat, M.W. (2003) Scaridae. Parrotfishes. p. 1723-1739. In K.E. Carpenter (ed.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae), sea turtles and marine mammals.
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