Order Perciformes | Phylum Chordata Family Scaridae Scientific name Sparisoma cretense Rank Species | |
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Similar Sparisoma, Parrotfish, Ornate wrasse, Mediterranean rainbow wrasse, Painted comber | ||
Female mediterranean parrotfish sparisoma cretense
The Mediterranean parrotfish (Sparisoma cretense) is a species of parrotfish found at depths up to 50 m (160 ft) along rocky shores of the Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic, from Portugal south to Senegal. Although some populations have been affected by fishing pressure, it is quite common locally, for example at the Azores, where its behavior has been studied in detail.
Contents
- Female mediterranean parrotfish sparisoma cretense
- Sparisoma cretense the parrotfish from creta
- References
It breeds during the summer, from July to September. It is a diurnal fish, but spawning is around dawn or dusk and can occur in pairs or groups. Feeding primarily on epilithic and coralline algae, this fish may also take small invertebrates.
As its relatives, this parrotfish starts as female (known as the initial phase) and then changes to male (the terminal phase). However, unlike most of its relatives, it is a secondary gonochorist, meaning some females do not change sex, and the ones that do change from female to male while still immature (i.e., reproductively functioning females do not change to males). The initial phase is red and yellow with a greyish saddle, while the terminal phase typically is overall greyish. It reaches a maximum length of 50 cm (20 in), and an almost complete overlap in the size of females and males occurs, though females average smaller than males.
