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-- P a r r o t f i s h --
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| Q 1. | ||
| Is the parrot fish of any value as food? |
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| Q 2. | ||
| Is it true that parrotfish feed on coral? |
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| Q 3. | ||
| While fishing recently I remarked to my guide on the biting power that I some fish have. On hearing this, he informed me that there are fish that eat coral. Is this true? |
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| Q 4. | ||
| How did the parrotfish get its name? |
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| Q 5. | ||
| Does the parrotfish have a poison that is injurious to a human if it bites the person? Does it feed on fire coral? Also, what part of a sea cucumber's internal organs is ejected when the sea cucumber is annoyed? |
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| Q 6. | ||
| On diving trips to the Florida Key and Caribbean, I have noticed that parrotfish of varying species have one thing in common - when fleeing an approaching diver, they expel a seemingly sandlike exudate that does not appear to be of fecal origin. Can you tell me what this exudate is? |
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| Q 7. | ||
| Are parrotfishes edible? |
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| Q 8. | ||
| During a night dive in waters off Palau, Caroline Islands. I saw a parrotfish sleeping inside a veil-like cocoon. What is the cocoon made of, and what purpose does it serve? |
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| Q&A 1. | Is the parrot fish of any value as food? |
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| Although the parrot fishes (Scaridae) are closely related to the hogfishes (Labridae), which are in general excellent food fishes, the flesh of the parrot fish is soft and of little flavor when cooked. However, the flesh when eaten raw is considered a great delicacy in Polynesia, where these fish are known as “royal fish” and in former times could only be eaten by the king. |
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| Q&A 2. | Is it true that parrotfish feed on coral? |
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| Yes, the parrotfishes (family Scaridae) are a group of peculiarly formed fishes, the larger members of which feed on living coral. The coral is broken off in small chunks by means of the thick, bony beak which gives the parrotfish its name. Since coral is merely the skeleton of a colony of small fleshy polyps, the fish are able to extract the 1iving nutritive matter from the brittle coral by chewing it up finely. Parrotfishes will also eat fish flesh, seaweeds, and in aquariums they appear fond of cabbage and sliced raw potato. |
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| Q&A 3. | While fishing recently I remarked to my guide on the biting power that I some fish have. On hearing this, he informed me that there are fish that eat coral. Is this true? Ward, Pennsylvania |
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| Yes, the parrot fishes (family Scaridae) have their teeth fused into parrot-like beaks with which they break off pieces of coral in order to get at the small organisms that live inside. These fishes inhabit tropical coral reefs and are common in Florida waters. They are among the most colorful of all the reef fishes, and while not highly regarded as food, they are quite acceptable. Some of the larger species have powerful enough beaks to bite through a fish hook. They are one of two groups of fish that seem actually to masticate their food, the other being the carps. |
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| Q&A 4. | How did the parrotfish get its name? Washington, D.C. |
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| The teeth of the parrotfish are fused into a solid bony plate which resembles somewhat the bill of a parrot. The parrotfish is a common denizen of the coral reefs of tropical waters al1at times, the young of many species come into shallow bays and weedy areas. The large rainbow parrotfish, Scarus guacamaia, is perhaps the best-known Atlantic species and reaches a length of three feet. Its large scales are green, outlined with orange. The beak is bright blue, making the fish look as if it were wearing blue lipstick. The purple parrotfish also grows quite large. The male is deep purple with several bright blue scales on the top of its head. Although this spectacular fish is considered a delicacy in the West Indies and elsewhere, it is seldom eaten in the United States. Food of the parrotfish normally comprises algae and coral which are finely ground in its bony jaws. Captive specimens are fond of cabbage and sliced raw potato. |
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| Q&A 5. | Does the parrotfish have a poison that is injurious to a human if it bites the person? Does it feed on fire coral? Also, what part of a sea cucumber's internal organs is ejected when the sea cucumber is annoyed? Cleveland, Ohio |
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| None of the parrotfishes has poison glands associated with the mouth that could cause injury to man if he were bitten. Their powerful jaws and impressive teeth could be hazardous to a diver, but parrotfish are normally browsing forms that have no instincts for predation on man. The fire coral, Millepora alcicornis, may at times be included in the diet of parrotfishes, despite the existence within it of a complex of powerful toxic materials. In answer to your third question, when the sea cucumber is handled excessively either in or out of water or when it is exposed to high temperatures or oxygen deficiency, the muscles of the body wall contract vigorously to expel the entire intestinal tract and the gonads through either the mouth of the anus. The structures that remain within the animal after autotomy are remnants of the mesentery, the cloaca, the respiratory organs, and all parts of the water vascular system. Ultimately, all the autotomized parts regenerate, and the sea cucumber is as good new. |
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| Q&A 6. | On diving trips to the Florida Key and Caribbean, I have noticed that parrotfish of varying species have one thing in common - when fleeing an approaching diver, they expel a seemingly sandlike exudate that does not appear to be of fecal origin. Can you tell me what this exudate is? Atlanta, Georgia |
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| Since parrotfishes chew stony coralline algae, much of their fecal material is ground up calcium carbonate and this is the exudate that you saw. According to Fishes of the Bahamas and Adjacent Tropical Waters by Bohlke and Chaplin, in the course of cropping coral and pulverizing it for the polyps with the powerful sets of teeth in their gullets (pharyngeal mills), parrotfishes play an important role in the cycle of reef growth and erosion. It is commonplace when diving to see these fishes voiding immense clouds of fecal matter, often well away from a reef. On a Bermuda study reef, it recently was estimated that 1 ton per acre per year of this material passes through the intestinal tracts of reef fishes and is redeposited as fine sand, and that parrotfishes are the primary depositors. |
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| Q&A 7. | Are parrotfishes edible? Port of Spain, Trinidad |
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| Parrotfishes are not highly esteemed as food, although they are sometimes eaten in many tropical areas around the world. The flesh of these fishes is soft and tends to spoil quickly. Furthermore, species of parrotfishes from both the Caribbean Sea and the Indo-Pacific have been implicated in ciguatera poisoning. Ciguatera, a phenomenon of the tropics, appears to be localized in occurrence. Ciguatoxin is produced initially by a microscopic alga and is stored in the tissues of consumer species, increasing in concentration in large carnivorous fishes. Fishes from some reef areas may be toxic, while those from others may not be. By talking to local fishermen prior to a fishing trip, one can learn which areas to avoid and which fishes may be dangerous to eat. If no information is available, it is wise not to eat any large reef fishes (greater than 3 pounds), since such specimens may have accumulated sufficient toxin during their lifetimes to be. |
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| Q&A 8. | During a night dive in waters off Palau, Caroline Islands. I saw a parrotfish sleeping inside a veil-like cocoon. What is the cocoon made of, and what purpose does it serve? Atlanta, Georgia |
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| The cocoon or envelope could be regarded as the parrotfish”s pajamas. Several species of parrotfishes build a mucous envelope around themselves for nighttime periods of sleep. The veil-like envelopes apparently protect these coral-reef dwellers from any disturbance by predators. The mucus produced by the fish gets a gelatinous but supple texture upon contact with water. It takes about 30 minutes for a parrotfish to make an envelope in the evening, and another 30 minutes for it to "undress" in the morning. So far, scientists can’t substantiate the claim that chemical substances in the mucus provide the main source of protection. More likely, the envelope keeps the fish's scent from reaching predators such as moray eels that roam the reef at night. |
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Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science Library
University of Miami, FL USA 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, Florida 33149 Phone: 305 421 4060 Fax: 305 421 9306 E-mail: libcirc@rsmas.miami.edu |
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