''Cetoscarus bicolor'', also known as the bicolour parrotfish or bumphead parrotfish, is a species of fish belonging to the family Scaridae. It is found only in the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

Distribution and habitat

While this species is restricted to the Red Sea, it is related to the spotted parrotfish (''

Cetoscarus ocellatus ''Cetoscarus ocellatus'', common name Spotted parrotfish, is a species of parrotfish belonging to the family Scaridae. Taxonomy This species was formerly considered to be the same species as '' Cetoscarus bicolor'', which is otherwise restricte ...

''), which is also sometimes called the bicolour parrotfish.Randall, J. E. (2005). ''Reef and Shore Fishes of the South Pacific.'' University of Hawi'i Press. These species were formally classified as one, the only in the genus ''Cetoscarus'', but there are major molecular and morphological differences between the two. ''C. bicolor'' is associated with coral reefs. It usually can be found in lagoons and seaward reefs at depths between . Small juveniles are usually found among dense coral and in algae-rich habitats.

Description

It is among the largest

parrotfish Parrotfishes are a group of about 90 fish species regarded as a family (Scaridae), or a subfamily (Scarinae) of the wrasses. With about 95 species, this group's largest species richness is in the Indo-Pacific. They are found in coral reefs, ...

es, growing to a

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

of up to . As in many of its relatives, it is a

sequential hermaphrodite Sequential hermaphroditism (called dichogamy in botany) is a type of hermaphroditism that occurs in many fish, gastropods, and plants. Sequential hermaphroditism occurs when the individual changes its sex at some point in its life. In particular, ...

, starting as female (known as the initial phase) and then changing to male (the terminal phase). The initial phase is dark brown with a large

cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

patch on the upper part of the body. The terminal phase is very colourful, overall green with pink spotting to the body and edging to the fins. Juveniles are white with a black spot on the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

and an orange band through the eye.

Behaviour

As in other parrotfish species, males are territorial. During its lifetime, this fish changes sex twice and very large females change sex to become brightly coloured males. This parrotfish mainly feeds on algae.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1953431 bicolor Fish of the Red Sea Taxa named by Eduard Rüppell bicolour parrotfish