Stareye Parrotfish, Calotomus carolinus
Stareye Parrotfish, Calotomus carolinus, Initial Phase (IP), Female. Fish caught from coastal waters off Green Island, Taiwan, October 2018. Length: 15 cm (5.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).
The Stareye Parrotfish, Calotomus carolinus, is a member of the Parrotfish or Scaridae Family, that is also known as the Carolina Parrotfish and the Halftooth Parrotfish and in Mexico as pococho perico. Globally, this is the only species in the genus Calotomus, this species that is found only in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean on a limited basis.
The Stareye Parrotfish has a moderately deep compressed body. The Juveniles have green to green-brown with white and brown spots on the body and fins and two rows of white spots along the flank and one row along the base of the dorsal fin. There is a white patch in front of the dorsal fin; their pectoral fins are clear; and their pelvic fins are gray-green flecked with brown and white. The iris of the eyes is green. The Initial Phase (IP) Females are mottled reddish to grayish brown shading to pale orange below with two pink bars that extend from the eyes to the mouth. Their caudal fin has a narrow white margin, their pectoral fins have a black base and a black spot at the front of the dorsal fin. The Terminal Phase (TP) Males are blue green and red brown with a blue green head with pinkish-orange line radiating from the eyes. They have a blunt head with a small mouth that opens in the front that is equipped with teeth that are flattened and conical set in one row on the top jaw with 1 to 4 canines at the rear and multiple teeth at the front of the lower jaw that transitions to one row toward the back. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 9 rays; their caudal fin is slightly rounded in juveniles and straight with pointed tips in adults; their dorsal fin has 9 spines and 10 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 13 rays. Their body is covered with large smooth scales. The lateral line has two sections.
The Stareye Parrotfish are found as singular individuals or in small groups within subtidal reef flats, and lagoon and seaward reefs within coral, rubble, seagrass and weedy areas at depths up to 70 m (230 feet). They reach a maximum of 50 cm (20 inches) in length. They feed during the day on algae and seagrasses. Reproduction occurs as protogynous hermaphrodites with females changing to males mid-life. The Stareye 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 Stareye Parrotfish has a broad distribution being found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. In Mexican waters they have a very limited distribution being found only around the Revillagigedo Islands and the extreme southern tip of Baja California Sur.
The Stareye Parrotfish is easily confused with the Azure Parrotfish, Scarus compressus (14 pectoral rays; bump on the forehead); the Bicolor Parrotfish, Scarus rubroviolaceus (14 pectoral rays; bump on forehead); the Bluechin Parrotfish, Scarus ghobban (15 pectoral rays; concave caudal fin); the Bumphead Parrotfish, Scarus perrico (14 to 16 pectoral rays; bump on forehead), and the Loosetooth Parrotfish, Nicholsina denticulata (14 to 16 pectoral rays; concave caudal fin).
From a conservation perspective the Stareye Parrotfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are caught by artisanal fishermen utilizing traps and nets. Catching one of these by hook and like is simply not possible. There longtime viability is threatened by habitat destruction, coastal development, and destructive fishing practices such as the use of dynamite for harvesting. They are considered to play an important role in reef dynamics and sedimentation.