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Australian Wildlife

  Steephead Parrotfish (Chlorurus microrhinos)





Steephead Parrotfish | Chlorurus microrhinos photo
A sleeping Steephead Parrotfish (Chlorurus microrhinos) in nighttime colouration. Challenger Bay, Ribbon Reefs, Great Barrier Reef

Image by Richard Ling - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)







FISH FACTS

Description
Adult Steephead Parrotfish are greenish blue. There is a brighter blue-green band above the mouth and a wider one below. Uniform yellowish-tan individuals are known but are rare. The tail is rounded in juveniles, but becomes crescent shaped in adults. Males develop a large hump on the head giving them a blunt head appearance. Steephead Parrotfish juveniles below about 8 cm are black with horizontal white stripes. Juveniles are generally solitary and large adults often school together.

Size
length to 70cm

Habitat
lagoons and seaward reefs

Range
In Australia the Steephead Parrotfish is found from south-western to north-western Western Australia and along the length of Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. Juveniles are found as far south as central New South Wales.



Classification
Class:Actinopterygii
Order:Perciformes
Family:Scaridae
Genus:Chlorurus
Species:microrhinos
Common Name:Steephead Parrotfish