Stoplight Parrotfish

Stoplight Parrotfish
Name: Stoplight Parrotfish
Scientific Name: Sparisoma viride
Family: Parrotfishes
Taxonomic: Scaridae
ID Group: Parrotfishes & Wrasses
Size: 1 - 1.5 ft.
Depth Range: On the reef (10 – 60 ft.)
Sightings: Seen often

This Parrotfish has a bright green body with a distinctive yellow spot near its pectoral fin, resembling a stoplight. It has a yellow marking at the tail base, and an orange to yellow bar on the tail. In the initial phase, the upper body is mottled reddish-brown with white-edged scales, while the belly and tail are red. Juveniles have a dark reddish-brown body with three rows of white spots along the sides and a white bar at the tail base.

The Stoplight Parrotfish is most active during the day, feeding on algae by scraping it from rocks and dead coral using its strong beak-like teeth