Scarus guacamaia
Rainbow Parrotfish
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GNR
Collection Details
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Scaridae (Parrotfishes)
Scarus
Scarus guacamaia (Rainbow 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
Single scale or occasionally two scales in third row on cheek; jaw teeth fused to form beaklike plates; dorsal and ventral profiles rounded; snout moderately steep in small specimens, slightly steeper in large specimens; nares close set; anterior naris with short flap on posterior margin; tooth plate of upper jaw slightly overlaps that of lower jaw; gill rakers on first arch 51-64; head length 35%-36% SL; snout length 10%-14% SL; eye diameter 5%-7% SL; upper jaw length 8%-10% SL; pectoral fin length 20%-24% SL; body depth 36%-40% SL; pectoral fin with 16 rays; caudal fin truncate to slightly rounded in juveniles and small adults, double emarginate in large adults; body, much of head, and bases of dorsal, anal, and caudal fins covered with scales; cheek with three rows of scales; predorsal midrow scales number six
Greenish dorsally and greenish orange ventrally; scales greenish in center and orange on margins; unscaled parts of head and chest dull orange; scaled parts orangish brown with short green lines around eye; terminal males with brighter green coloration restricted to upper posterior section of body; tooth plates green; little sexual dichromism
Distribution
Western Atlantic from southern Florida and Bermuda to Argentina, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Antilles
In the Gulf of Mexico off the southwestern coast of Florida, including the Dry Tortugas and Veracruz
Habitat Associations
Coral reefs in shallow water
Mangrove regions (juveniles)
Biology
Benthic algae, sea grasses, and coral polyps
Maximum known size is 120 cm TL
Inhabits coral reefs. Young are commonly found in mangrove areas. Feeds mainly on benthic algae (Ref. 3802). Known to have a home cave to which it retires at night or when danger threatens; makes use of the sun as an aid to locating the cave.
Reproductive mode: protogyny; fertilization: external; mating system: monogamy; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened (NT), assessed 2012-05-24. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish; aquarium: commercial.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941 (as Pseudoscarus guacamaia)
Schultz 1958a
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Castro-Aguirre and Márquez-Espinoza 1981
Robins and Ray 1986
Smith 1997
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Westneat 2002b
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Randall, J.E. (1978) Scaridae. In W. Fischer (ed.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Central Atlantic (Fishing Area 31). Vol. 4. pag.var.
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.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
Cervigón, F. (1994) Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 3. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 295 p.
García-Cagide, A., R. Claro and B.V. Koshelev (1994) Reproducción. p. 187-262. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Inst. Oceanol. Acad. Cienc. Cuba. and Cen. Invest. Quintana Roo (CIQRO) México.
Parenti, P. and J.E. Randall (2000) An annotated checklist of the species of the labroid fish families Labridae and Scaridae. Ichthyol. Bull. J.L.B. Smith Inst. Ichthyol. (68):1-97.
Comments On Scarus guacamaia