
Also known as:
Parrot fish
Parrot
Blue parrotfish
Bluebone
Yellow bellied tuskfish
Common Group Name:
Tuskfishes
Family Name:
Labridae
Genus Name:
Choerodon
Species Name:
Choerodon schoenleinii
Dispatch Method:
Beware of the sharp teeth of all tuskfish when handling them. The eating qualities of these fish can be improved by killing them humanely by iki jime or a firm knock to the head before placing them in an ice slurry after bleeding.
Fish Description:
- A bluish-green tuskfish with a distinctive black spot on the body at the base of last dorsal-fin spine. Juveniles have a large white saddle behind the black spot.
- This species is a protogynous hermaphrodite, which matures first as female before transitioning to males.
- The absence of large males in a population probably initiates the size at which sex reversal occurs.
Fish Distribution:
- This species occurs throughout the tropical Indo- Pacific region from Indonesia to Japan, south to papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and tropical Australia.
- This species frequents inshore reefs, weedy seagrass areas and coral rubble patches at depths between 5 and 60 meters.
Fish Size Common Length:
Common between 30 and 60 cm, maximum size around 100 cm and 15 kg.