A xanthic Scarus psittacus has arrived in the UK, which its importers say is the first of its kind they’ve seen. The 5” fish was caught at Serangan Island just off Bali in the Indian Ocean, in 2-3 meters of water and near a rocky outcrop.
If it is Scarus psittacus, the species is common and widespread right the way from South Africa to the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Indo-Pacific, Australia, Hawaii, and Japan. Like many wrasse species, males have different color phases as they mature, and we’ve seen pale juveniles, pale females and males flash gold, but we haven’t seen a solid yellow fish like this before, with the usual pink cheeks and fin margins, but completely lacking any blue or green coloration.
Parrotfish are famous for their dentition, the mucous cocoons they sleep in at night, and for grazing rocky areas of coral reefs for tiny microorganisms, algae, and bacteria. They can be a challenging species for aquariums and need lots of room and rocky real estate on which to graze. A very large fish only with live rock tank (but with bright lighting and mature, algae-covered rock) would best suit them.
This one was imported to the UK by Aqualogy and has been sold to British retailer Aqua Group.
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