221: SCARIDAE (PARROTFISHES)
Median pre dorsal scales 4; scale rows on cheek 2; P 15; GR 50-59; dental plates broadly exposed; C of initial phase slightly rounded, of terminal
males slightly emarginate. Initial phase dark brown with 4 irregular narrow whitish bars, the scales with a vertically elongate orange spot; C and
rear of peduncle pale pink; P yellow. Terminal ma1es green, the anterior
part of each body scale salmon pink, shading to whitish posteriorly and on
C base; a dark blue crescent posteriorly in C; a broad green-edged pale
zone across head from mouth to end of opercle.
Attains 30 cm. Known at present only from Kenya to
Natal. Closely related to S. japanensis (Bloch), of which S.
capistratoides Bleeker is a junior synonym.
221.7 Scarus caudofasciatus
(Gunther, 1862)
PLATES 107 & 109
Redbarred parrotfish
Rooibalk-papegaaivis
Pseudoscarus caudofasciatus Gunther, 1862: 238 (Mauritius). Callyodon rubrofasciatus: Smith, 1956: 10, PI. 43, Fig. 1 (Kenya); 1959: 279*;
Smith & Smith, 1963: 41 *. Scarus rubrofasciatus: Smith, 1965: 33*. Scarus
caudofasciatus: Randall & Bruce, 1983: 12*.
Median predorsal scales 5-7; scale rows on cheek 3, the lower row with
2-4 scales; P 15-16; GR 51-55; lips cover 1/2 or more of dental plates; C of
initial phase deeply emarginate, of terminal males lunate with lobes produced. Terminal male blue-green dorsally, head salmon with dark bluegreen bands on snout and chin; dental plates dark blue-green; C blue with
a large salmon pink crescentic region centrally and basally, the attenuate
ends extending into C lobes.
Attains at least 50 cm. Western Indian Ocean, south to
Sodwana Bay.
221.8 Scarus cyanescens
Valenciennes, 1840
PLATE 110
Blue humphead parrotfish
Blou ramkop-papegaaivis
Scarus cyanescens Valenciennes, in Cuv. & Val., 1840: 254 (Mauritius);
Randall & Bruce, 1983: 13*. Xanothon chloromelas: Smith, 1956: 6.
Median pre dorsal scales 3; scale rows on cheek 2; P 15; GR 44-47; dental plates broadly exposed (less than 1/2 covered by lips); adults with a convex, fleshy protuberance above eye. Head and body anterior to a line from
about base of 5th D spine curving back to origin of A deep blue; body posterior to this line green; spinous portion of D has a narrow submarginal
blue band which becomes marginal on soft portion; dental plates dull
white.
Attains 50 cm. A rare species; known only from
Mauritius, Madagascar, Zanzibar and Natal to 30° S. A relative of S. oedema (Snyder, 1909) and S. ovifrons Temminck & Schlegel, 1846.
221.9 Scarus enneacanthus
Lacepede, 1802
Captain parrotfish
Kaptein-papegaaivis
Scarus enneacanthus Lacepede, 1802: 6 (Mauritius); Randall & Bruce,
1983: 14*. Callyodon enneacanthus: Smith, SFSA No. 823.
712
Median predorsal scales 4; scale rows on cheek 2; P 14-15; GR 54-61;
body depth 2.6-2.9 in SL; C slightly rounded to truncate in subadults,
emarginate in adults. Head and body green, the edges of scales in middle
and rear part of body narrowly and faintly lavender pink; dental plates
greenish; unsealed part of C violet with blue upper and lower margins,
green posterior margin, and a pink streak in each lobe. No obvious difference in colour with sex.
Attains 45 cm. Rare; specimens available only from
Mauritius, Mozambique, Chagos Archipelago and Maldive
Ids.
221.10 Scarus festivus
Valenciennes, 1840
PLATES 107 & 110
Lunate parrotfish
Halfmaan-papegaaivis
Scarus festivus Valenciennes, in Cuv. & Val., 1840: 282 (locality not
given); Randall & Bruce, 1983: 16*. Margaritodon verwayi: Smith, 1956:
15*. Callyodon (Margaritodon) lunula: Smith, 1959: 280*.
Median predorsal scales 4 or 5; 2nd scale largest; cheek scale rows 3, the
lowest row with 1-3 scales; P 13-14; GR 38-46; lips cover more than V 2 of
dental plates; marked convexity in dorsal profile of head most pronounced on large males; C emarginate to lunate, maximum C concavity of
large males 1.4 in head. Colour: green, the edges of scales orange; some
fish with a large light yellow area on side of C peduncle; snout and dorsal
part of head greenish to violet; 2 vertical blue-green bands crossing interorbital space, the posterior one broadest; dental plates white; apparently
not sexually dichromatic.
Attains 45 cm. Not common; ranges from French
Polynesia to east Africa. Observed off Sodwana Bay.
221.11 Scarus ghobban
Forsskal, 1775
PLATES 107, 108 & 11 0
Bluebarred parrotfish
Bloubalk-papegaaivis
Scarus ghobban Forsskaal, 1775: 28 (Red Sea); Randall & Bruce, 1983:
20*. Pseudoscarus natalensis Gilchrist & Thompson, 1909: 259 (Natal).
Callyodon guttatus: Smith, SFSA No. 824*. Callyodon ghobban: Smith,
1956: 10*; 1959: 278*; 1961: 569, No. 824*; Smith & Smith, 1963: 40*
Callyodon apridentatus: Smith, 1956: 14, PI. 44 F (Kenya); 1959: 279*;
1962: 509; 1965: 34*.
Median predorsal scales 6 (rarely 5), the 4th usually largest; cheek scale
rows usually 3, with a single scale in 3rd row; P 15-16; GR 45-53; lips cover
more than V 2 of dental plates; C slightly emarginate in small initial-phase
fish to lunate in large terminal males, maximum C concavity 2.3 in head.
Colour: initial-phase body scales bluish, becoming whitish or pale reddish
ventrally, edges yellow to orange-yellow; 5 body bars often present,
caused by intensification of blue on scales within the bars; head yellowish
with blue bands. Terminal male light green dorsally on head and body, the
scales narrowly edged in salmon pink; side of body with progressively less
green ventrally and more salmon (in life there may be a faint irregular
blackish bar in middle of body and a short fainter one passing ventrally
from D origin); a broad irregular green band from corner of mouth across
lower cheek linking to a narrow blue-green band along edge of lower lip
and a broader one across chin; C green with a salmon pink band in each
lobe; a dusky spot on upper edge of P base.
Median pre dorsal scales 4; scale rows on cheek 2; P 15; GR 50-59; dental plates broadly exposed; C of initial phase slightly rounded, of terminal
males slightly emarginate. Initial phase dark brown with 4 irregular narrow whitish bars, the scales with a vertically elongate orange spot; C and
rear of peduncle pale pink; P yellow. Terminal ma1es green, the anterior
part of each body scale salmon pink, shading to whitish posteriorly and on
C base; a dark blue crescent posteriorly in C; a broad green-edged pale
zone across head from mouth to end of opercle.
Attains 30 cm. Known at present only from Kenya to
Natal. Closely related to S. japanensis (Bloch), of which S.
capistratoides Bleeker is a junior synonym.
221.7 Scarus caudofasciatus
(Gunther, 1862)
PLATES 107 & 109
Redbarred parrotfish
Rooibalk-papegaaivis
Pseudoscarus caudofasciatus Gunther, 1862: 238 (Mauritius). Callyodon rubrofasciatus: Smith, 1956: 10, PI. 43, Fig. 1 (Kenya); 1959: 279*;
Smith & Smith, 1963: 41 *. Scarus rubrofasciatus: Smith, 1965: 33*. Scarus
caudofasciatus: Randall & Bruce, 1983: 12*.
Median predorsal scales 5-7; scale rows on cheek 3, the lower row with
2-4 scales; P 15-16; GR 51-55; lips cover 1/2 or more of dental plates; C of
initial phase deeply emarginate, of terminal males lunate with lobes produced. Terminal male blue-green dorsally, head salmon with dark bluegreen bands on snout and chin; dental plates dark blue-green; C blue with
a large salmon pink crescentic region centrally and basally, the attenuate
ends extending into C lobes.
Attains at least 50 cm. Western Indian Ocean, south to
Sodwana Bay.
221.8 Scarus cyanescens
Valenciennes, 1840
PLATE 110
Blue humphead parrotfish
Blou ramkop-papegaaivis
Scarus cyanescens Valenciennes, in Cuv. & Val., 1840: 254 (Mauritius);
Randall & Bruce, 1983: 13*. Xanothon chloromelas: Smith, 1956: 6.
Median pre dorsal scales 3; scale rows on cheek 2; P 15; GR 44-47; dental plates broadly exposed (less than 1/2 covered by lips); adults with a convex, fleshy protuberance above eye. Head and body anterior to a line from
about base of 5th D spine curving back to origin of A deep blue; body posterior to this line green; spinous portion of D has a narrow submarginal
blue band which becomes marginal on soft portion; dental plates dull
white.
Attains 50 cm. A rare species; known only from
Mauritius, Madagascar, Zanzibar and Natal to 30° S. A relative of S. oedema (Snyder, 1909) and S. ovifrons Temminck & Schlegel, 1846.
221.9 Scarus enneacanthus
Lacepede, 1802
Captain parrotfish
Kaptein-papegaaivis
Scarus enneacanthus Lacepede, 1802: 6 (Mauritius); Randall & Bruce,
1983: 14*. Callyodon enneacanthus: Smith, SFSA No. 823.
712
Median predorsal scales 4; scale rows on cheek 2; P 14-15; GR 54-61;
body depth 2.6-2.9 in SL; C slightly rounded to truncate in subadults,
emarginate in adults. Head and body green, the edges of scales in middle
and rear part of body narrowly and faintly lavender pink; dental plates
greenish; unsealed part of C violet with blue upper and lower margins,
green posterior margin, and a pink streak in each lobe. No obvious difference in colour with sex.
Attains 45 cm. Rare; specimens available only from
Mauritius, Mozambique, Chagos Archipelago and Maldive
Ids.
221.10 Scarus festivus
Valenciennes, 1840
PLATES 107 & 110
Lunate parrotfish
Halfmaan-papegaaivis
Scarus festivus Valenciennes, in Cuv. & Val., 1840: 282 (locality not
given); Randall & Bruce, 1983: 16*. Margaritodon verwayi: Smith, 1956:
15*. Callyodon (Margaritodon) lunula: Smith, 1959: 280*.
Median predorsal scales 4 or 5; 2nd scale largest; cheek scale rows 3, the
lowest row with 1-3 scales; P 13-14; GR 38-46; lips cover more than V 2 of
dental plates; marked convexity in dorsal profile of head most pronounced on large males; C emarginate to lunate, maximum C concavity of
large males 1.4 in head. Colour: green, the edges of scales orange; some
fish with a large light yellow area on side of C peduncle; snout and dorsal
part of head greenish to violet; 2 vertical blue-green bands crossing interorbital space, the posterior one broadest; dental plates white; apparently
not sexually dichromatic.
Attains 45 cm. Not common; ranges from French
Polynesia to east Africa. Observed off Sodwana Bay.
221.11 Scarus ghobban
Forsskal, 1775
PLATES 107, 108 & 11 0
Bluebarred parrotfish
Bloubalk-papegaaivis
Scarus ghobban Forsskaal, 1775: 28 (Red Sea); Randall & Bruce, 1983:
20*. Pseudoscarus natalensis Gilchrist & Thompson, 1909: 259 (Natal).
Callyodon guttatus: Smith, SFSA No. 824*. Callyodon ghobban: Smith,
1956: 10*; 1959: 278*; 1961: 569, No. 824*; Smith & Smith, 1963: 40*
Callyodon apridentatus: Smith, 1956: 14, PI. 44 F (Kenya); 1959: 279*;
1962: 509; 1965: 34*.
Median predorsal scales 6 (rarely 5), the 4th usually largest; cheek scale
rows usually 3, with a single scale in 3rd row; P 15-16; GR 45-53; lips cover
more than V 2 of dental plates; C slightly emarginate in small initial-phase
fish to lunate in large terminal males, maximum C concavity 2.3 in head.
Colour: initial-phase body scales bluish, becoming whitish or pale reddish
ventrally, edges yellow to orange-yellow; 5 body bars often present,
caused by intensification of blue on scales within the bars; head yellowish
with blue bands. Terminal male light green dorsally on head and body, the
scales narrowly edged in salmon pink; side of body with progressively less
green ventrally and more salmon (in life there may be a faint irregular
blackish bar in middle of body and a short fainter one passing ventrally
from D origin); a broad irregular green band from corner of mouth across
lower cheek linking to a narrow blue-green band along edge of lower lip
and a broader one across chin; C green with a salmon pink band in each
lobe; a dusky spot on upper edge of P base.