Green humphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum)

Scientific name: Bolbometopon muricatum Valenciennes, 1840

Green humphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum)

The Green humphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) is a marine fish of the family Scaridae. Native range: Indo-Pacific, Red Sea and East Africa to Samoa and the Line Islands, north to the Yaeyama and Wake islands, south to the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 9. Median predorsal scales 2 to 4 (may be obscured by hump); scales on cheek scale rows 1(4-6), 2(3-6), 3(1-2). Sometimes confused with the humphead wrasse or other 'humphead' parrotfishes. Unlike the wrasse, it has a vertical head profile, and unlike other parrotfishes, it is uniformly covered except for the leading edge of the head which is often light green to pink, and has a nodular outer surface to its beak. The primary phase is a dull gray with scattered white spots, gradually becoming uniformly dark green.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Bolbometopon muricatum
Family
Scaridae (Parrotfishes)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
130
Common length
70.0
Depth range
1–30 m (3–98 ft)
Environment
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 30 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Samoa and the Line Islands, north to the Yaeyama and Wake islands, south to the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Vulnerable (VU) (A2d)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.10)

More wrasses

See all wrasses

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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