Stoplight parrotfish

Taxobox
name = Stoplight parrotfish, terminal phase


regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Perciformes
familia = Scaridae
genus = "Sparisoma"
species = "S. viride"
binomial = "Sparisoma viride"

The Stoplight parrotfish is a sex-changing fish inhabiting coral reefs in Florida, Bahamas, the Caribbean, eastern Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda, and Brazil. Its typical length is between 30 and 45 cm, but it can reach 60 cm at times. It is normally found during the day between 5 and 16 meterscite book | last =Humann, DeLoach | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Reef Fish Identification - Florida Caribbean Bahamas | publisher =New World Publications, Inc. | date =2002 | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =1-878348-30-2] .

The colors of the Stoplight parrotfish in the initial phase, when it could be either a male or a female, are dramatically different from those in the terminal phase, when it's definitely a male.

The common name, "stoplight", comes from the marked yellow spot near the pectoral fin, which is clearly visible only in specimens in the terminal phase.

References