Blue-barred Parrotfish

Family: Parrotfishes (Scaridae)
Size: Up to 75 cm (30 in) | Common: 40 cm
Depth: 1 – 30m (3 – 100ft)

Distribution: Widespread Indo-Pacific and Eastern Pacific (Gulf of California to Peru, including Galapagos and Malpelo).

Identification: A large, heavy-bodied reef grazer known for its drastic color changes.

• Terminal Phase Male (Pictured): Spectacular coloration. The body features blue-to-green scale edges with pinkish-salmon centers. Look for the distinct bright blue bands around the mouth and eyes, and blue margins on the tail and fins.
• Initial Phase (Female/Juvenile): Very different! They are generally yellowish-tan with five faint, irregular, vertical blue bars along their sides (which gives the species its "Blue-barred" name).

Behavior: The sand-making machine of the reef.

• Diet & Ecology: They use their fused, beak-like teeth to violently scrape algae off rocks and dead coral. They grind down the ingested rock in their throat and excrete it as fine white sand. A single large parrotfish can produce hundreds of pounds of sand per year!
• Sleeping Habit: At night, they wedge themselves into a crevice and secrete a transparent mucous cocoon around their entire body. This masks their scent from nocturnal predators like moray eels.