Chlorurus capistratoides (Bleeker 1847)

Scarus capistratoides Bleeker

Scarus capistratoides Bleeker, 1849, p. 50.—Schultz, 1958, p. 74, pl. 12C,D.

Xanothon capistratoides.—Smith, 1956, p. 6, pl. 43A, B; 1959, p. 268, pl. 43A, B.

Scarus cyanotaenia Bleeker, 1854 p. 197 [type: Catalog no. 1864.5.15.28 British Museum, has ii,3 pectoral rays].

Pseudoscarus cyanotaenia.—Bleeker, 1862, p. 28, pl. 6: fig. 1.

?Xanothon erythrodon [not Cuvier and Valenciennes].—Smith, 1956, p. 7, pl. 45E.

See Schultz (1958, p. 74) for other synonyms.

Characterized by having 4 median predorsal scales, 2 rows of scales on cheek; ii,13 pectoral fin rays, and lips not covering white teeth; edges of dorsal and anal fins blue or green, middle red, base blue or green; caudal region with red spots, one on each scale; distal part of caudal fin green, basally red; cheek pink; edges of upper and lower lips red, then a green crossband, one on snout extends to below eye, thence to rear of opercle; distal margin of operculum red.

A male has the dorsal part of the head dark back to about the base of dorsal spine IV, thence ventrally to the origin of the anal fin; posterior to this dark oblique bar, the body is abruptly pale.

Schultz (1958) referred Scarus cyanotaenia Bleeker, 1854 (p. 197), to the synonymy of S. forsteri, and Smith (1959, p. 268) identified it as “unquestionable” Scarus capistratoides Bleeker, 1849 (p. 50). Both of us have examined the type in the British Museum (Catalog no. 1864.5.15.28). I made the following notes on the type in 1953: “… median predorsal scales 4: rows of scales on cheek, both sides, are 6–7–0 and 6–6–0; pectoral rays ii, 13–ii, 13. Distal edges of both dorsal and anal fins narrowly dusky; dorsal with median dusky streak; rest of fin lighter; anal pale with barely discernable median dusky streak; Weber and de Beaufort mention a dark spot at upper base of pectoral (red-violet spot mentioned by Bleeker) which certainly is not now visible on the type.” Without the dark spot and ii,13 pectoral rays I accept Smith’s opinion.

Schultz (1958, p. 74) referred Smith (1956, pl. 43B) to the synonymy of Scarus forsteri, which probably was an error since that plate represents this species.

Among the reddish-brown parrotfishes reaching up to 9 inches in standard length and having 4 median predorsal scales, 2 rows of scales on the cheek, ii,13 pectoral rays, white teeth, and no black spot at dorsal edge of pectoral base, I find the following nominal species with the above listed characters: Scarus en-neacanthus Lacepède (=S. cyanescenes Cuvier and Valenciennes=S. capitaneus Cuvier and Valenciennes); S. rhoduropterus Bleeker; S. troscheli Bleeker (= C. bleekeri Weber and de Beaufort); S. sordidus Forskål; S. bowersi (Snyder); S. jonesi (Streets); S. capistratoides Bleeker.

The following species listed above may be distinguished from the plain reddish-brown ones by certain characteristic color marks: S. enneacanthus has the distal margins of the median fins narrowly margined with blue, and a green body; S. rhoduropterus has 4 or 5 dark vertical bars on the side of the body; S. troscheli has a dusky streak across the middle of the anal fin, distinctive color marks on the side of the head (Schultz, 1958, p. 38, fig. 10) and a distinctive yellow blotch on cheek bordered by a narrow green band; S. sordidus has a pale peduncular region with a dark spot at base of caudal fin; S. bowersi and S. jonesi both have a distinctive coloration as shown by Schultz (1958, p. 72, figs. 12, 13A; pl. 12D).

Scarus capistratoides is known only from adults with the green color pattern, in which the edges of both lips are red. Smith (1956, 1959) recognized Xanothon erythrodon (not Cuvier and Valenciennes) Smith as occurring in vast shoals in the western Indian Ocean; however, my examination of the type of S. erythrodon Cuvier and Valenciennes (Catalog no. 575), with ii, 12–ii, 13 pectoral rays, revealed it to be S. sordidus, a species the young of which occur in vast schools on the reefs.

Newly collected specimens from the Indian Ocean up to 225 mm in standard length are certainly the same species as X. erythrodon (not Cuvier and Valenciennes), Smith 1956 (pl. 45F). In the largest of my specimens the edges of the lips are pale (probably red when alive) as in S. capistratoides. I am unable to determine the sex for these specimens. I suggest that these may be the immature stage of S. capistratoides, a problem that can best be studied in the field on living specimens—possibly by injection of testosterone.

A recently collected specimen: USNM 202622, Te Vega Sta. TV–247, 11 March 1965, Bougainville, Tautsina Island.

RANGE.—Western Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean.

Xenoscarops Schultz, 1958, p. 23.

Xenoscarops Schultz is placed as a subgenus of Scarus because in X. perrico (Jordan and Gilbert) juveniles have a few rudimentary teeth next to the main row on the upper pharyngeals. Also, discovery in the Red Sea of a new species with five median predorsal scales and two rows of scales on the cheek, similar to X. perrico, with a rudimentary row of teeth next to the main row on the upper pharyngeals, indicates a relationship to genus Scarus. This new arrangement, however, is open to question since X. perrico has 9–13 + 21–28 gill rakers and S. fehlmanni, new species, has 25 + 33 gill rakers on the first arch.

RANGE.—Eastern Pacific Ocean and Red Sea.

Scarus perrico Jordan and Gilbert

Scarus perrico Jordan and Gilbert, 1881, p. 357.

Scarops perrico.—Schultz, 1958, p. 23, fig. 3, pl. 2A, B.—Briggs, 1964, p. 708—Hobson, 1965, p. 295 [behavior].

See Schultz (1958, p. 23) for other synonyms.

Characterized by having 5 median predorsal scales, 2 rows of scales on cheek; pectoral rays ii,12, rarely ii,13; lips not quite covering green teeth (white in juveniles); coloration plain dark olive green, young with 2 or 3 brown crossbars on underside of head, and sides of young indistinctly barred. Median fins dark blue-green, paired fins green; blue lines scattered around and radiating from eye; snout with hump in adults; caudal fin rounded in young becoming truncate, then with pointed lobes in largest adults.

RANGE.—Eastern Pacific Ocean.