Bicolour Parrotfish, Cetoscarus ocellatus (Valenciennes 1840)

Other Names: Red-speckled Parrotfish, Spotted Parrot-fish, Two-colour Parrotfish, Two-coloured Parrotfish

A male (terminal phase) Bicolour Parrotfish, Cetoscarus ocellatus, at North Horn, Osprey Reef, Australia. Source: Richard Ling. License: CC by Attribution-Share Alike

Summary:

Like many other wrasses, the Bicolour Parrotfish changes sex and colour during its life cycle.

Juveniles are white with a broad orange band around the head, a black ocellus on the dorsal fin and broad orange submarginal band on the tail.
Females (Initial Phase) are dark purplish to reddish brown, peppered with black spots below, with a large pale yellowish area below the dorsal fin.
Males (Terminal Phase) are green, with pink spots on head and anterior body above an orange line running from mouth below pectoral-fin base to anal fin, grading to pink scale margins.

In Australia, this species was previously called Cetoscarus bicolor, a species found only in the Red Sea (Randall 2005).

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2017, Cetoscarus ocellatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 20 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/390

Bicolour Parrotfish, Cetoscarus ocellatus (Valenciennes 1840)

More Info

Distribution	Widespread in the tropical Indo-Pacific. Known in Australian waters from Ningaloo Reef, Rowley Shoals and Scott Reef (Western Australia), Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea and Lizard Island to the Capricorn Group (Queensland). Also at Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean, and in the Lord Howe Island region. This coral reef inhabitant lives in clear reef lagoons and on seaward reefs, in depths of 0-40 metres (in Australia). Groups of mature and immature individuals are seen grazing on algae. Small juveniles tend to shelter amongst dense coral, coral rubble and algae.
Features	Dorsal fin IX, 10; Anal fin III, 9
Feeding	Herbivore - grazes on algae
Biology	Like other parrotfishes, C. ocellatus is a protogynous hermaphrodite, starting life as a female (the 'initial phase'). Adults live in harems with a dominant male and a group of females, and the male maintains a large territory. If the male disappears, the dominant female changes sex and colour to become a brightly-coloured male (the 'terminal phase'). Longevity - at least 20 years of age.
Conservation	IUCN Red List : Least Concern
Remarks	The orange and white juveniles are solitary and resemble flatworms and nudibranchs.
Etymology	The species is named ocellatus for the dark ocellus on the dorsal fin of juveniles.
Species Citation	Scarus ocellatus Valenciennes 1840, Histoire Naturelle des Poissons 14: 278. Type locality: Caroline Islands, Western Pacific
Author	Bray, D.J. 2017
Resources	Australian Faunal Directory

Bicolour Parrotfish, Cetoscarus ocellatus (Valenciennes 1840)

References

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Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. (as Cetoscarus bicolor)

Allen, G.R., Cross, N.J. & Allen, C.J. 2006. Scarinae. pp. 1425-1434 inBeesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35 Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3 2178 pp. (as Cetoscarus bicolor)

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.

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Choat, J.H., van Herwerden, L., Robbins, W.D., Hobbs, J.P. & Ayling, A.M. 2006. A report on the ecological surveys undertaken at Middleton and Elizabeth Reefs, February 2006. Report by James Cook University to the Department of the Environment and Heritage. 65 pp. (as C. bicolor)

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