Scarus tricolor Bleeker, 1847

Zajonz, Uwe, Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Saeed, Fouad K. N., Aideed, Moteah S. & Lavergne, Edouard, 2023, Parrotfishes (Teleostei: Labridae: Scarini) of the Socotra Archipelago: Diversity and distributional biogeography, including a range extension of Scarus zufar Randall & Hoover, 1995, Zootaxa 5389 (3), pp. 301-330 : 319

Scarus tricolor Bleeker, 1847

Scarus tricolor Bleeker, 1847: 164 ; holotype:?BMNH 1862.2.28.9; type locality: Java, Indonesia.

Tricolor parrotfish

Figure 13

Material examined: Underwater photograph.

Distinctive characters: Body elongate, its depth 2.7–3.5 in SL; dorsal profile of head straight; posterior nostril subequal to anterior nostril; teeth fully fused to form dental plates, about two-thirds or more covered by lips; cutting edge of dental plates usually smooth; upper dental plate with 1–2 conical teeth posteriorly in terminal males and large initial phase; caudal fin lunate in terminal males. Meristic values: Pectoral-fin rays 14; median predorsal scales 5–7, scales subequal in size; cheek with 3 scale rows, lower row with 3–6 scales.

Colouration: Initial phase with zones of colour from dark brown on back to yellow, green, blue and red on sides and ventrally, the scales rimmed with black; head blackish with a large greenish grey patch dorsally above eye; dental plates pale rose; anal and caudal fins orange-red. Body of terminal males green, the basal half of scales salmon pink, with green back and a green stripe ventrally; head greenish, upper lip salmon pink with a submarginal blue-green stripe that continues across cheek, dorsal part of head with a green band from anterior interorbital area passing through dorsal edge of eye to below origin of dorsal fin; lower lip blue-green followed by pale pink area bordered by blue-green short band on chin; dental plates deep blue-green; caudal fin blue-green with a large middle lavender crescent and narrow pink submarginal band on each lobe.

Distribution: Widespread from eastern Africa east to the Line and Samoa Islands. No records in the Arabian region except for the Socotra Archipelago.

Remarks: Photographed individual matches the description of Scarus tricolor ( Randall & Bruce 1983) , supporting the tentative record of Zajonz et al. (2019) from Abd al-Kuri Island. It was photographed at north-eastern Socotra Island, Roosh-Haleh, in a coral-rich habitat at 14 m depth.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Scarus tricolor, terminal male, Roosh, Socotra Island, 14 m depth.