Colours
Distinguishing features
A large fish with a green body covered in pink spots anteriorly, grading to pink scale edges posteriorly. The initial phase is grey below, whitish above, with dark spots on the lower half of the body, salmon pink fins and an orange eye. The juvenile is white with a broad orange stripe through the eye.
Size
- Up to 90 cm (Standard length)
Depth range
- Depth range data is not yet available.
Synonyms
Similar taxa
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Animalia:
species: Cetoscarus bicolor
is now known to be restricted to the Red Sea. Cetoscarus ocellatus is widespread in the Indo-west Pacific and it used to be known as Cetoscarus bicolor (IUCN Red List).
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
Mainly shallow flats and fronts of exposed reef habitats, although also seen in lagoonal and backreef patches occasionally.
Found in most locations around the Island.
Behaviour
Bicolour Parrotfishes have powerful jaws with covered teeth, and feed on both benthic turf algae as well as living coral tissue. They consume several tonnes of coral reef matrix per fish each year, however they do not form schools like the Bumphead Parrotfish, so their effects are not so localised. Spawning takes place in the summer months at reef passes and points with good water flow. The juveniles are solitary and mimic toxic flatworms and nudibranchs with their unusual colour scheme. Adult males maintain large territories in which they monitor several initial phase female fish. This species reaches at least 20 years of age.
Web resources
References
References that assist with identification
- Bellwood, D.R. and J.H. Choat (1989). A description of the juvenile phase colour patterns of 24 parrotfish species (Family Scaridae) from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Records of the Australian Museum, 41: 1-41. LIRS catalog number 264.
Other references
- Bellwood, D.R. (1985). The functional morphology, systematics and behavioural ecology of parrotfishes (Family Scaridae), Ph.D. thesis, James Cook University, Townsville. LIRS catalog number 310.
- Bellwood, D.R. (1985). The functional morphology, systematics and behavioural ecology of parrotfishes (Family Scaridae), Ph.D. thesis, James Cook University, Townsville. LIRS catalog number 310.
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