Mediterranean parrotfish

Photo: Nicolas Lagière · CC BY-NC

Sparisoma cretense is the only Atlantic-origin parrotfish to have established a breeding population in the Mediterranean, likely entering through the Strait of Gibraltar and spreading eastward over decades. Males display vivid magenta and yellow terminal-phase colouration, making them the most visually striking fish on eastern Mediterranean reefs, while females retain drab red-brown hues that blend with coralline algae. Their fused beak-like teeth scrape algae and living rock, producing fine carbonate sand — biogenic sediment production visibly accumulates in sandy patches beneath their feeding territories at Kallithea.