Scarus

{{Short description|Genus of ray-finned fishes}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}} {{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = Late Miocene to Present<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Choat |first1=John. H. |last2=klanten |first2=Oya. S. |last3=Van Herwerden |first3=Lynne |last4=Robertson |first4=D. Ross |last5=Clements |first5=Kendall D. |date=November 2012 |title=Patterns and processes in the evolutionary history of parrotfishes (Family Labridae): Evolutionary History of Parrotfishes |url=https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article-lookup/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01959.x |journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |language=en |volume=107 |issue=3 |pages=529–557 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01959.x|url-access=subscription }}</ref> | image = Scarus psittacus (cropped).JPG | image_caption = ''Scarus psittacus'' (terminal phase) | taxon = Scarus | authority = Forsskål, 1775 | type_species = ''Scarus psittacus'' | type_species_authority = Forsskål (not of Linnaeus), 1775 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = about 52, see text | synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true|title=List | ''Callyodon'' Scopoli, 1777 | ''Calliodon'' Bloch & Schneider, 1801 | ''Erychthys'' Swainson, 1839 | ''Hemistoma'' Swainson, 1839 | ''Petronason'' Swainson, 1839 | ''Scarus'' Bleeker, 1847 | ''Pseudoscarus'' Bleeker, 1861 | ''Loro'' Jordan & Evermann, 1896 | ''Margaritodon'' J.L.B. Smith, 1956 | ''Scarops'' Schultz, 1958 | ''Xenoscarops'' Schultz, 1958 }} | synonyms_ref = <ref name = CofFF>{{Cof family|family=Scaridae|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref> }}

'''''Scarus''''' is a genus of parrotfishes. With 52 currently recognised extant species,<ref name=fb>Froese, R. and D. Pauly, Eds. [http://www.fishbase.org/identification/SpeciesList.php?genus=Scarus ''Scarus''.] FishBase. 2013.</ref> it is by far the largest parrotfish genus. The vast majority are found at reefs in the Indo-Pacific, but a small number of species are found in the warmer parts of the eastern Pacific and the western Atlantic, with a single species, ''Scarus hoefleri'' in the eastern Atlantic.<ref name="fb" />

The genus name ''Scarus'' comes from the Greek word σκάρος (''skáros''), which refers to parrotfishes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scarus iseri summary page |url=https://fishbase.se/summary/Scarus-iseri.html |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=FishBase |language=en}}</ref>

== Evolution == ''Scarus'' is most closely related to its sister genus ''Chlorurus''. Most recent phylogenetic analyses find that the two genera diverged during the late Miocene (Messinian).<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Choat |first1=John. H. |last2=klanten |first2=Oya. S. |last3=Van Herwerden |first3=Lynne |last4=Robertson |first4=D. Ross |last5=Clements |first5=Kendall D. |date=November 2012 |title=Patterns and processes in the evolutionary history of parrotfishes (Family Labridae): Evolutionary History of Parrotfishes |url=https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article-lookup/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01959.x |journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |language=en |volume=107 |issue=3 |pages=529–557 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01959.x|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In both genera, most of their diversification occurred some time later, within the last 3.5 million years during the Pliocene.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Lydia L. |last2=Fessler |first2=Jennifer L. |last3=Alfaro |first3=Michael E. |last4=Streelman |first4=J. Todd |last5=Westneat |first5=Mark W. |date=October 2008 |title=Phylogenetic relationships and the evolution of regulatory gene sequences in the parrotfishes |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |language=en |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=136–152 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2008.06.008 |pmc=3418665 |pmid=18621133|bibcode=2008MolPE..49..136S }}</ref> In contrast, coral reefs in their modern form were established much earlier, during the Miocene.<ref name=":0" />

Most ''Scarus'' species occur in reef habitats. Because some species such as ''S. zufar'' occur in rockier, more peripheral habitats, patterns of phylogenetic relationships have led researchers to suggest that these habitats may be the ancestral habitat type for the genus.<ref name=":0" />

A 2012 phylogenetic analysis of 45 ''Scarus'' species recovered 10 major monophyletic clades.<ref name=":0" />

== Description == Adults of most species reach maximum lengths of between {{convert|30|and(-)|50|cm|in|abbr=on}}, but the rainbow parrotfish (''Scarus guacamaia'') can grow to lengths of {{convert|1.2|m|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name="fb" /> and is the second largest species of parrotfish after the humphead parrotfish.<ref name=":4" /> ''S. guacamaia'' weighs a hundred times more than the smallest ''Scarus'' species ''Scarus iseri'',<ref name=":0" /> which only reaches a maximum length of 27 cm.<ref name=":3" />

In comparison to its sister genus ''Chlorurus'', ''Scarus'' species in general have less obtuse head profiles, less extensive cheek areas, and smaller dental plates, although a few species of ''Scarus'' are exceptions to this. This may possibly reflect comparatively lower biting power, and a disparity in the ability to excavate calcareous reef subtrata.<ref name=":0" />

=== Sexual dichromatism === Most ''Scarus'' species are very colourful, and most are sexually dichromatic, with strikingly different initial (male and female) and terminal (male only) phases.<ref name="fb" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=RANDALL |first1=JOHN E. |last2=CHOAT |first2=J. HOWARD |date=1980-12-01 |title=Two new parrotfishes of the genus Scarus from the Central and South Pacific, with further examples of sexual dichromatism |url=https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-abstract/70/4/383/2658767?redirectedFrom=fulltext |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=70 |issue=4 |pages=383–419 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.1980.tb00856.x |issn=0024-4082|url-access=subscription }}</ref> However in a few species, initial phase and terminal phase colouration remains the same. Examples of such sexually monochromatic species include ''S. guacamaia'', ''S. coelestinus'', ''S. perrico'', ''S. niger'',<ref name=":2" /> and ''S. coeruleus''.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last1=Hoey |first1=Andrew S. |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781482224023 |title=Biology of Parrotfishes |last2=Bonaldo |first2=Roberta M. |date=2018-03-05 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-315-11807-9 |editor-last=Hoey |editor-first=Andrew S. |edition=1 |location=Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, [2018]{{!}} "A Science Publishers book." {{!}} Includeu bibliographical references and index. |language=en |doi=10.1201/9781315118079 |editor-last2=Bonaldo |editor-first2=Roberta M.}}</ref>

== Ecology == [[File:Scarus coelestinus 57202825.jpg|thumb|''S. coelestinus'' with ''S. guacamaia'' in Florida, two extremely closely related species.<ref name=":0" /> Unlike most ''Scarus'' species, these two are not sexually dimorphic. Due to their similar appearance and sympatric distribution, they were often thought to be colour phases of the same species until the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Randall |first=John E. |date=1963 |title=Notes on the Systematics of Parrotfishes (Scaridae), with Emphasis on Sexual Dichromatism |journal=Copeia |volume=1963 |issue=2 |pages=225–237 |doi=10.2307/1441337 |jstor=1441337 |issn=0045-8511}}</ref>]] ''Scarus'' species are important herbivores in reef ecosystems, feeding predominantly on algae and dead coral.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Frydl |first=Paul |date=1979 |title=The Effect of Parrotfish (Scaridae) on Coral in Barbados, W. I |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/iroh.19790640603 |journal=Internationale Revue der gesamten Hydrobiologie und Hydrographie |language=en |volume=64 |issue=6 |pages=737–748 |doi=10.1002/iroh.19790640603 |bibcode=1979IRH....64..737F |issn=1522-2632|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In the process, they facilitate bioerosion and create sediment.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Freitas |first1=Matheus O. |last2=Previero |first2=Marília |last3=Leite |first3=Jonas R. |last4=Francini-Filho |first4=Ronaldo B. |last5=Minte-Vera |first5=Carolina V. |last6=Moura |first6=Rodrigo L. |date=2019-08-30 |title=Age, growth, reproduction and management of Southwestern Atlantic's largest and endangered herbivorous reef fish, Scarus trispinosus Valenciennes, 1840 |journal=PeerJ |language=en |volume=7 |article-number=e7459 |doi=10.7717/peerj.7459 |doi-access=free |pmid=31531268 |pmc=6718160 |issn=2167-8359}}</ref>

Lifespan varies across different species. More short-lived species, such as the common parrotfish (''S. psittacus''), live for up to 6 years.<ref name=":3" /> Other species are more long-lived; the endangered greenback parrotfish (''S. trispinosus'') has been recorded living for over 20 years, and is the largest herbivorous reef fish in the South Atlantic.<ref name=":1" /> Its close relative, the midnight parrotfish (''S. coelestinus''),<ref name=":0" /> has been recorded reaching 31 years of age.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=David Delane |last2=Rivera Hernández |first2=Jesús M. |last3=Shervette |first3=Virginia R. |date=2021-05-01 |title=Princess parrotfish Scarus taeniopterus age, growth, maturity, and transition |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10641-021-01097-5 |journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes |language=en |volume=104 |issue=5 |pages=581–595 |doi=10.1007/s10641-021-01097-5 |bibcode=2021EnvBF.104..581J |issn=1573-5133|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Such large bodied and long-lived species are highly vulnerable to over-exploitation by fisheries.<ref name=":1" />

Many species within the genus are sympatric with each other, and often are sympatric with their sister species; ''Scarus'' frequently underwent sympatric speciation through adaptive radiation.<ref name=":0" />

==Species== There are currently 52 recognised species in this genus:<ref name=fb/> {| class="wikitable" |+ !Species !Common name !Initial phase !Terminal phase |- |''Scarus altipinnis'' (Steindachner, 1879) |filament-finned parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus arabicus'' (Steindachner, 1902) |Arabian parrotfish | | |- |''Scarus caudofasciatus'' (Günther, 1862) |red-barred parrotfish | | |- |''Scarus chameleon'' Choat & Randall, 1986 |chameleon parrotfish | |frameless |- |''Scarus chinensis'' (Steindachner, 1867) | | | |- |''Scarus coelestinus'' Valenciennes, 1840 |midnight parrotfish | colspan="2" |center|frameless|314x314px |- |''Scarus coeruleus'' (Edwards, 1771) |blue parrotfish | colspan="2" |center|frameless|315x315px |- |''Scarus collana'' Rüppell, 1835 |Red Sea parrotfish | | |- |''Scarus compressus'' (Osburn & Nichols 1916) |azure parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus dimidiatus'' Bleeker, 1859 |yellow-barred parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus dubius'' (E. T. Bennett, 1828) |regal parrotfish | |frameless |- |''Scarus falcipinnis'' (Playfair, 1868) |sicklefin parrotfish |frameless | |- |''Scarus ferrugineus'' Forsskål, 1775 |rusty parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus festivus'' Valenciennes, 1840 |festive parrotfish | | |- |''Scarus flavipectoralis'' Schultz, 1958 |yellowfin parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus forsteni'' (Bleeker, 1861) |Forsten's parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus frenatus'' Lacépède, 1802 |bridled parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus fuscocaudalis'' Randall & Myers, 2000 |darktail parrotfish | | |- |''Scarus fuscopurpureus'' (Klunzinger, 1871) |purple-brown parrotfish | |frameless |- |''Scarus ghobban'' Forsskål, 1775 |blue-barred parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus globiceps'' Valenciennes, 1840 |globehead parrotfish | |frameless |- |''Scarus gracilis'' (Steindachner 1869) | | | |- |''Scarus guacamaia'' Cuvier, 1829 |rainbow parrotfish | colspan="2" |center|frameless|287x287px |- |''Scarus hoefleri'' (Steindachner, 1881) |Guinean parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus hypselopterus'' Bleeker, 1853 |yellowtail parrotfish |center|frameless|188x188px |frameless |- |''Scarus iseri'' (Bloch, 1789) |striped parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus koputea'' Randall & Choat, 1980 |Marquesan parrotfish | | |- |''Scarus longipinnis'' Randall & Choat, 1980 |highfin parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus maculipinna'' Westneat, Satapoomin & Randall, 2007 |spot-fin parrotfish | | |- |''Scarus niger'' Forsskål, 1775 |dusky parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus obishime'' Randall & Earle, 1993 |yellowtail parrotfish |frameless | |- |''Scarus oviceps'' Valenciennes, 1840 |dark-capped parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus ovifrons'' Temminck & Schlegel, 1846 |knobsnout parrotfish | |frameless |- |''Scarus perrico'' Jordan & Gilbert, 1882 |bumphead parrotfish | colspan="2" |center|frameless|280x280px |- |''Scarus persicus'' Randall & Bruce, 1983 |gulf parrotfish | | |- |''Scarus prasiognathos'' Valenciennes, 1840 |Singapore parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus psittacus'' Forsskål 1775 |common parrotfish |frameless |File:Scarus psittacus, Island of Hawai'i, Hawaii, USA imported from iNaturalist photo 63881409 (cropped).jpg}}|frameless |- |''Scarus quoyi'' Valenciennes, 1840 |Quoy's parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus rivulatus'' Valenciennes, 1840 |rivulated parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus rubroviolaceus'' Bleeker, 1847 |ember parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus russelii'' Valenciennes, 1840 |eclipse parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus scaber'' Valenciennes, 1840 |fivesaddle parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus schlegeli'' Bleeker, 1867 |yellowband parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus spinus'' (Kner) |greensnout parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus taeniopterus'' Lesson, 1829 |princess parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus tricolor'' Bleeker, 1847 |tricolour parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus trispinosus'' Valenciennes, 1840 |greenback parrotfish | colspan="2" |center|frameless|295x295px |- |''Scarus vetula'' Bloch & Schneider, 1801 |queen parrotfish |frameless |frameless |- |''Scarus viridifucatus'' J.L.B. Smith, 1956 |roundhead parrotfish | |frameless |- |''Scarus xanthopleura'' Bleeker, 1853 |red parrotfish |frameless | |- |''Scarus zelindae'' Moura, Figueiredo & Sazima, 2001 |Zelinda's parrotfish | |frameless |- |''Scarus zufar'' Randall & Hoover, 1995 |Dhofar parrotfish | | |}

==In political thought== In Cesare Ripa's Renaissance iconography, the ''scarus'' fish symbolised civil "Union," i.e. the joining of individuals into a collective body. Plutarch had written that ''scarus'' fish "swim together in shoals and ingeniously and heroically free each other when caught in a net." The ''scarus'' thus "denoted reciprocal assistance in the fight for survival."<ref name="Hont">Hont, I. ''Jealousy of Trade: International Competition and the Nation-State in Historical Perspective''. Harvard UP: 2005, pp. 21-22.</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Scarus Category:Extant Rupelian first appearances Category:Marine fish genera Category:Taxa named by Peter Forsskål Category:Rupelian genus first appearances Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot