The Importance Of Parrotfish

Parrotfishes are the common name for members of the large fish family Scaridae, which live in coral reef ecosystems throughout the Caribbean as well as the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. They vary in color and pattern between males, females and juveniles, with each going through a variety of color changes as they mature (Polychromatism). (Jamaica Environment Trust, 2013) “There are about eighty identified species, ranging in size from less than one to four feet in length.” (National Geographic Society, 2013). Powerful jaws of fused teeth “beaks”, and bright colors gives Parrotfish their common family name. This paper seeks to describe the diversity, geographic range, habitat, physical description, development, reproduction, lifespan, behavior, food habits, predation and threats to Parrotfish. Additionally, this paper will examine the importance of this species to the coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean.

Scaridae: The Parrotfish Family The colorful, algae-eating, sand-pooping, Parrotfish is the most

This family includes approximately nine genera and eighty- three species. They are abundant in tropical reefs around the world and well known to divers for their striking coloration and noisy feeding as they crunch on dead coral. The geographic range of Parrotfishes is mainly in tropical waters throughout the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. Nevertheless, some species inhabit subtropical waters, and some, such as Scarus ghobban, may venture far from the coral reef ecosystems. (Choat and Bellwood, 1998; Nelson, 1994). Most parrotfishes exclusively inhabit offshore coral reefs in tropical regions. However, a few species feed primarily on sea grasses and are most common in the Caribbean. Two other species, Nicholsina denticulate and Sparisoma cretense, are common over rocky reefs of the Gulf of California and Mediterranean Sea,