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Steephead Parrotfish
Chlorurus microrhinos (Bleeker, 1854)
A Steephead Parrotfish at a depth of 12m, "Pixies Reef", Ribbon reefs north of Port Douglas, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, November 1998. View larger image.
A Steephead Parrotfish photographed at night at a depth of 12m, Osprey Reef, Coral Sea, Queensland, December 2000. View larger image. View the 'Do Fishes Sleep?' FAQ page.
A Steephead Parrotfish photographed at night at a depth of 6m, "Pixies Reef", Ribbon reefs north of Port Douglas, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, November 1998. View larger image.
A Steephead Parrotfish at a depth of 12m, Osprey Reef, Coral Sea, Queensland, December 2000. View larger image.
The Steephead Parrotfish has large exposed tooth plates (more information). The upper plate has one or two canines on each side. The head profile becomes very steep in adults. The caudal fin is rounded in juveniles but changes to truncate (glossary) with elongate upper and lower lobes in adults.
Both sexes are usually green-blue overall with a pinkish bar on each scale. The tooth plates are blue-green. There is a blue-green band above the mouth and a wider one below. An irregular blue-green line crosses the cheek, below which the head is usually greenish-yellow. This species also has a less common red phase (view image).
The Steephead Parrotfish grows to 70cm in length.
It occurs in tropical marine waters of the Western and Central Pacific.
In Australia this species is known from south-western to north-western Western Australia and from the northern to southern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. Juveniles are found on the east coast as far south as central New South Wales.
Further reading
- Bellwood, D.R. in Carpenter, K.E. & V.H. Niem (Eds). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 6. Bony Fishes part 4 (Labridae to Latimeriidae), estuarine crocodiles, sea turtles, sea snakes and marine mammals. FAO, Rome. Pp. iii-v, 3381-4218.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437. (as Scarus microrhinos)
- Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian Reef Fishes. Coral Graphics. Pp. 330.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
