Sixband Parrotfish, Scarus frenatus Lacépède 1802

Other Names: Bridled Parrotfish, Six-banded Parrotfish, Six-banded Parrot-fish

A male (terminal phase) Sixband Parrotfish, Scarus frenatus, in the Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia. Source: John Turnbull / Flickr. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:

Large male Sixband Parrotfish are dark bluish-green, with pink lines and bands on the snout, chin and head, a broad greenish band from the mouth to the pectoral-fin base, the rear of the body abruptly lighter blue, and a large pinkish to orange crescent-shaped mark on the tail. Females are greyish to reddish with 6-7 broad dark stripes along the sides and a pale tail base.

Parrotfishes change sex from male to female during their life cycle and vary in colour depending on their sex and growth stage.

Cite this page as:

Dianne J. Bray, Scarus frenatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 13 Feb 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/2359

Sixband Parrotfish, Scarus frenatus Lacépède 1802

More Info

Distribution

Recorded in Australian waters from the Houtman Abrolhos to Cape Londonderry, WA, and north of Cape York to the Capricorn Group, QLD; also at Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea and Lord Howe Island. Elsewhere in the tropical, Indo-west Pacific. Juveniles have been seen as far south as Sydney Harbour.

Elsewhere, widespread in the Red Sea and Indo-West Pacific.

Species Citation

Scarus frenatus Lacépède, 1802, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 4: 3, 13, pl. 1(2). Type locality: Mauritius.

Author

Dianne J. Bray

Sixband Parrotfish, Scarus frenatus Lacépède 1802

References

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