Yellowtail Parrotfish, Sparisoma rubripinne
Yellowtail Parrotfish, Sparisoma rubripinne, Juvenile. Underwater photographs taken in coastal waters of Yal-Ku, Quintana Roo, April 2014. Photographs courtesy of Juan Rojo, Akumal. The identification is a “most likely” scenario as the subject was difficult to photograph with perhaps a 10% possibility that it is an Initial Phase (IP) female Redtail Parrotfish, Sparisoma chrysopterum.
Yellowtail Parrotfish, Sparisoma rubripinne, Juvenile Transitioning To Initial Phase (IP), Female. Fish caught off the Anglin’s Fishing Pier, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida, March 2015. Length: 25 cm (10 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Yellowtail Parrotfish, Sparisoma rubripinne, Initial Phase (IP), Female. Fish caught from within the Hillsburo Inlet, Hillsburo Beach, Florida, July 2019. Length: 26 cm (10 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Yellowtail Parrotfish, Sparisoma rubripinne, Initial Phase (IP), Female Transitioning To Terminal Phase (TP) Male. Fish caught from coastal waters off Key Largo, Florida, April 2019. Length: 27 cm (11 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Yellowtail Parrotfish, Sparisoma rubripinne, Initial Phase (IP), Female. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters of Yal-Ku, Quintana Roo, April 2014. Photograph courtesy of Juan Rojo, Akumal.
The Yellowtail Parrotfish, Sparisoma rubripinne, is a member of the Parrotfish or Scaridae Family, that is also known as the Redfin Parrotfish and in Mexico as loro coliamarillo. Globally, there are fifteen species in the genus Sparisoma, of which six are found in Mexican waters, all in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Yellowtail Parrotfish has an elongated robust body that is somewhat compressed. Females in the initial phase (IP) are pale gray-brown and vary in color; their anal fin and pelvic fins have a red tint; their caudal base and their slightly concave caudal fin are yellow; their scales have dark edges; and they have a dark spot on their gill covers. Males in the terminal phase (TP) are overall gray-green with a dark blotch at the base of their pectoral fin; their concave caudal fin is a pale yellow crescent at the rear; and their eyes have a red iris. They have a blunt head with two white vertical lines under their chin. The area between their eyes is convex. Adults have 12 to 20 cirri on a flap on their front nostril. 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 straight; and, their dorsal fin is continuous with 9 spines and 10 rays. They have 17 gill rakers. They are covered with large smooth scales. Their lateral line is broken into two sections.
The Yellowtail Parrotfish is found in and around coral reefs and adjacent seagrass and in algal bed environments at depths up to 30 m (100 feet). They reach a maximum of 48 cm (19 inches) in length. They forage during the day feeding on benthic algae and live corals. They are hermaphrodites and live in harems with a dominant male. At night they retire into self-made slimy sleeping bags for protection against predation. They have lifespans of up to six years. The Yellowtail Parrotfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Yellowtail Parrotfish is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexican and the Caribbean but are exceedingly rare in the western and northwestern sections of the Gulf of Mexico.
The Yellowtail Parrotfish is similar in shape to several other Parrotfish, however, its coloration allows it to be readily identified. The two juvenile fish pictured below present an some identification challenges as they lack the traditional yellow tail found in adult Yellowtail Parrotfish.
From a conservation perspective the Yellowtail Parrotfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. The are fished commercially and caught primarily with gill nets, pots, and traps. The are considered to be an important food fish throughout the Caribbean.