Stoplight parrotfish - Jess Marquis

Stoplight parrotfish (Sparisoma viride)

Description: Males are a light blue and pink with yellow and red markings on its tail, similar to a stoplight. Females have red bellies and tails, and the body has while and grey scales lined with black.

Sightings: We saw the Stoplight parrotfish at most of the sites we went to.  But at Looe Key, there were lots of them that we were able to get close to them! Both male and females were spotted at this site. They were seen swimming and grazing on the algae on the rocks.

Habitat: They live in shallow waters (3-50 meters) in coral reefs, they are a diurnal species.

Feeding: These fish graze off of algae on rocks and live corals. Through the use of their strong beak they also make sediment when they chip off rock with the algae.

Predation: Carnivorous fish eat Stoplight Parrotfish such as snappers and moray eels.

Reproduction: They mate all year round, but when there is in imbalance in genders, they have the ability to change genders in order to keep the population up

Conservation: These fish play a minor roll in fisheries and aquariums and are rated least concerned in the ICUN Red List. Although they aren’t in immediate danger it is important to conserve all life

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/sparisoma-viride/

https://www.fishbase.de/summary/Sparisoma-viride.html .

Two female Stoplight parrotfish. Photo courtesy of Dr. Voss