WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Bucktooth Parrotfish

Sparisoma radians

Also known as: Kwab, Pink Parrot, Sleep-on-Grass

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2012
Adult
@Ziggy · Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico · June 20141 / 4

Showing details for the adult stage. Switch stages to see how it differs.

01

Overview

Found in shallow, protected waters, close to mangroves and seagrass beds.

Parrotfish are hermaphrodites and live in harems with a dominant male. They are not territorial, living and feeding in harmony with other species.
Their teeth are fused into powerful beaks which are used for grabbing filamentous algae from dead coral, often found feeding in a cloud of sediment.
At night parrotfish make a sleeping bag out of slime bubbles for protection against predators.
These beautiful fish whose males usually outshine the females for colour also change dramatically from juvenile to adult.

02

How to identify

Pattern
stripes

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

Where the adult stage lives, and where its photos were taken.

  • Range · Western Atlantic, Caribbean
  • Country only · 4
LIVES IN

Found in shallow, protected waters, close to mangroves and seagrass beds.

04

Adult photos 4

05

Discussion 1

Comments are checked by a moderator before they appear.

1 comment

  • JolineCuracao· 12 May 2020

    I was just wondering, do you know for sure this is the bucktooth parrotfish and not the emerald parrotfish? I find it hard to see the difference between both!

ALL STAGES
FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

Deep dive

Taxonomy

  1. familyScaridae
  2. genusSparisoma
  3. speciesSparisoma radians (Valenciennes, 1840)

SourcesWoRMSFishBase

06

More in the family

Parrotfishes (Scaridae)