Atlantic Parrotfish

Photo: Dennis Rabeling · CC BY-NC-ND

The Mediterranean or Atlantic parrotfish is a Macaronesian speciality and the only parrotfish species present in Canarian waters, making every sighting here distinct from Caribbean or Indo-Pacific diving experiences. Females and juveniles display a striking red and white mottled pattern while terminal phase males turn vivid green and blue, and both morphs use their fused beak-like teeth to scrape algae and encrusting organisms from artificial reef surfaces. Their bioerosion activity — grinding reef substrate into fine sediment expelled as sand — is a critical ecosystem function on both natural and artificial reefs.