Spotted parrotfish
Cetoscarus ocellatus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Spotted parrotfish
- Scientific
- Cetoscarus ocellatus
- Dhivehi
- No recorded Dhivehi name
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 80 cm (standard length)
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 30 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2009
Description
A large parrotfish whose colours change dramatically with age. Juveniles are white with an orange band through the eye and a black-ringed orange spot on the dorsal fin; females are reddish brown with a yellow back; males are green with pink-edged scales and pink markings on the head. It lives on seaward reefs and clear lagoons in harems led by a territorial male, scraping algae from dead coral.
In the Maldives
Parrotfish have been protected in the Maldives since 2020 because of their role in keeping reefs healthy. Parrotfish have been protected in the Maldives since 2020.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Cetoscarus-ocellatus.html
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Pez_loro_manchado_(Cetoscarus_ocellatus),_Nosy_Kalakajoro,_
Dhivehi name source: No Dhivehi name found in MRS 1997 (available chapters), FishBase (country: Maldives) or Dhivehi Wikipedia.