Queen Parrotfish, Scarus vetula, Male. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters off Bonaire, December 2019. Photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.
The Queen Parrotfish, Scarus vetula, is a member of the Parrotfish or Scaridae Family, and is known in Mexico as loro reina. Globally, there are sixty-four species in the genus Scarus, of which ten are found in Mexican waters, six in the Atlantic and four in the Pacific Ocean.
The Queen Parrotfish has an elongated moderately compressed fusiform body. Juveniles are dark gray in color with a broad white stripe slightly below mid-flank Initial Phase (IP) females are reddish-brown in color. Females in the initial phase (IP) have yellowish fins and dark brown stripes alternating with white stripes along their back and extending down to their pectoral fin base. Terminal Phase (TP) males are bluish-green in color with blue spots near the mouth, yellowish streaks between the mouth and eye, an anal fin with a reddish brown submarginal band and a blue-green margin and a caudal fin that is bluish-green with a reddish brown margins. They have a pointed head with a small non-protractile mouth that opens at the front. Their front teeth are fused into a beak with broad plates. They have 1 or 2 canines on the rear side of their top jaw. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 9 rays; their caudal fin is lunate with broad margins; their dorsal fin is continuous with 9 spines and 10 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 2 spines and 12 rays. They have 50 to 60 gill rakers. Their lateral line is broken into two sections and their body is covered with large smooth scales.
The Queen Parrotfish is found in and around rocky and coral reefs at depths up to 70 m (230 feet). They reach a maximum length of 61 cm (2 feet 0 inches) They are primarily herbivorous that feed during the day on algae, via scraping that does considerable damage to the corals, and sponges and live coral throughout the reef. They are considered to be essential bioeroders that help support a healthy reef environment. In turn they are preyed upon by eels, groupers and sharks. They are hermaphrodites with females transitioning to males at mid-life. They live in harems with a dominant male and migrate to the fringe of reefs for spawning. Their larvae are planktonic. At night they retire into self-made slimy sleeping bags for protection from predation. They have life spans of up to twenty years.
The Queen Parrotfish is similar in shape to several other Parrotfish and is most likely confused with the Princess Parrotfish, Scarus taeniopterus (IP striped; TP wide prominent maroon stripe on the dorsal fin) and the Striped Parrotfish, Scarus iseri (body with stripes; square or rounded caudal fin).
The Queen Parrotfish is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
From a conservation perspective the Queen Parrotfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. However, their long term viability is threatened by widespread coral reef loss and declining habitat. They are targeted by commercial and artisanal fishermen utilizing gill nets, pots, and traps and considered to be an important food fish throughout the Caribbean. However, they are known to contain ciguatoxin.