Yellowhead Parrotfish, Scarus spinus (Kner 1868)


Other Names: Greensnout Parrotfish, Spiny Parrotfish, Yellow-head Parrotfish

A Yellowhead Parrotfish, Scarus spinus, at Lomaiviti, Fiji. Source: Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:
Males green with a yellow head; females drab with white teeth and some pale spots. 
Shape of front of head of terminal phase males with bluntly rounded distinctive, being bluntly rounded, dorsal and ventral profiles being almost identical. Heads of initial phase fish not as obtuse

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2024, Scarus spinus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 13 Feb 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/402

Yellowhead Parrotfish, Scarus spinus (Kner 1868)

More Info


Distribution

Great Barrier Reef, from the Torres Strait to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, and offshore reefs of north Western Australia (Scott Reef and Rowley Shoals to north of Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea); also Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean, and the Lord Howe Province in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the east-Indo-west-central Pacific.
inhabits coral-rich areas of outer lagoon and seaward reefs.

Features

Dorsal fin IX,10; Anal fin III,9; Pectoral fin 3-14; Median predorsal scales 3-5.
Terminal phase males with bluntly rounded head; caudal fin slightly rounded to truncate in initial phase; moderately to deeply emarginate in terminal phase. Initial phase adults with one canine on lower plate, lack canines on upper plate; terminal-phase males with 1-2 canines on upper and lower plates, the lowermost (if two) very large and projecting diagonally backward. Lips largely or entirely cover dental plates.Scales large; transverse pair of smaller scales overlapping medially in mid-dorsal line located directly anterior to first median scale; 3 scale rows on cheek, lower row with 1-2 (usually 2) scales. 

Biology

A protogynous hermaphrodite, changing sex from female to male during the life cycle. Females often form small groups with a male nearby.

Species Citation

Pseudoscarus spinus Kner, 1868, Sitzungsberichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien 58(1–2): 31. Type locality: Kandavu Island, Fiji.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2024

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Yellowhead Parrotfish, Scarus spinus (Kner 1868)

References


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

Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp. 

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

Allen, G.R. & Steene, R.C. 1988. Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 197 pp. 

Bellwood, D.R. 1994. A phylogenetic study of the parrotfishes family Scaridae (Pisces: Labroidei), with a revision of genera. Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 20: 1-86

Bellwood, D.R. 2001. Scaridae. pp. 3468-3492 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218. 

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. 

Choat, J.H. & Randall, J.E. 1986. A review of the parrotfishes (Family Scaridae) of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia with description of a new species. Records of the Australian Museum 38: 175-228

Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S.J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Checklist and new records of Christmas Island fishes: the influence of isolation, biogeography and habitat availability on species abundance and community composition. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 184–202 

Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S .J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Fishes of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands: new records, community composition and biogeographic significance. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 203–219

Kner, R. 1868. Über neue Fische aus dem Museum der Herren J. Cäs. Godeffroy und Sohn in Hamburg. Sitzungsberichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien 58(1–2): 26-31 See ref at BHL

Kner, R. 1868. IV. Folge neuer Fische aus dem Museum der Herren Joh. Cäs. Godeffroy und Sohn in Hamburg. Sitzungsberichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften. Wein 58(3–4): 293–356 9 pls (as Pseudoscarus spinus) See ref at BHL

Kuiter, R.H. 1992. Tropical Reef-Fishes of the Western Pacific, Indonesia and Adjacent Waters. Jakarta : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama 314 pp. pls. 

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp.

Nicholson, G.M. & Clements, K.D. 2020. Resolving resource partitioning in parrotfishes (Scarini) using microhistology of feeding substrata. Coral Reefs  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-020-01964-0

Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp. 

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.

Russell, B., Choat, J.H., Clements, K.D., Rocha, L.A., Myers, R., Lazuardi, M.E., Muljadi, A., Rahardjo, P. & Pardede, S. 2012. Scarus spinus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: e.T190713A17795871. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012.RLTS.T190713A17795871.en. Accessed on 31 July 2024.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37386031

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:0-30 m

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:30 cm TL

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