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Sparisoma cretense
It reaches a maximum length of 50 cm, though females are on average smaller than males.
Like other parrotfish all specimen of Mediterranean parrotfish starts as female (this is known as the initial phase) and then changes sex to male (also known as the terminal phase). However reproductively functioning females do not change sex. The initial phase is red and yellow with a greyish saddle, while the terminal phase typically is overall greyish.
Spotted on Mar 2, 2009
Submitted on Nov 2, 2017
5 Comments
Congrats Marek on the SOTD,beautiful striking collour,thanks for sharing
Congrats Marek; great shots and great info!
Congratulations Marek!
Congrats Marek.
Congratulations Marek, your Mediterranean Parrotfish is our Spotting of the Day:
"This colorful Mediterranean Parrotfish (Sparisoma cretense) is our Spotting of the Day! Parrotfish are named for their dentition: their many teeth are tightly packed on the external surface of their jaw bones, forming a beak reminiscent of that of a parrot. Like many other species of parrotfish, the Mediterranean parrotfish is a sequential hermaphrodite, starting as female (known as the initial phase) and then changing to male (the terminal phase). The initial phase seen here is red and yellow with a greyish saddle, while the terminal phase is typically overall greyish.
Learn more about sequential hermaphroditism in this Wikipedia article: https://buff.ly/2AXrYE7 "
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