Rivulated parrotfish

Naming

Common Names:
English – Rivulated Parrotfish, Surf Parrotfish, Tattooed Parrotfish
French – Perroquet à Museau Rayé

Synonyms:
Pseudoscarus flavolineatus Alleyne & Macleay, 1877
Pseudoscarus rivulatus (Valenciennes, 1840)
Scarus arcuatus Valenciennes, 1840
Scarus fasciatus Valenciennes, 1840
Scarus micrognathos Bleeker, 1847
Scarus rivulatoides Bleeker, 1847

Distribution

Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Cambodia; China; Disputed Territory (Spratly Is.); Fiji; Hong Kong; Indonesia; Japan; Malaysia; Micronesia, Federated States of ; New Caledonia; Norfolk Island; Palau; Papua New Guinea; Singapore; Solomon Islands; Sri Lanka; Taiwan, Province of China; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Tonga; Vanuatu; Viet Nam; Wallis and Futuna

Habitat

This species inhabits coastal rocky and coral reefs including mangrove areas, turbid lagoons and the upper edges of clear seaward reefs from tidal pools to a depth of at least 20 m. It may form schools with 30 to 40 individuals, often mixed with other species. It often occurs in aggregations that may move onto reef flats at high tide for feeding (G. Allen pers comm. 2009).

Reproduction

Both group and pair spawning have been observed. It is a protogynous hermaphrodite. It is a fast growing parrotfish with a maximum age recorded at 11-12 years (Choat et al. 1996).

Food

It grazes on benthic algae and corals.