Grey Chub

White stripe above upper dark stripe ends at gill opening; upper and lower caudal margins pale (Ref. 26938). Terminal phase males are blue-green and orange, chest and head pink below a green band at lower edge of eye; median fins with blue borders, the broad central parts orange with linear blue markings (Ref. 13442).

Diandric. Length at sex change = 9.6 cm TL (Ref. 55367). Forms harem groups composed of a single male and several smaller females (Ref. 55367).

Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 9

Found over shallow, clear waters, generally over Thalassia beds (Ref. 13628). Also found rocky or coral areas (Ref. 13628). Feeds on plants. Herbivore (Ref. 57616).

Found over shallow, clear waters, generally over Thalassia beds (Ref. 13628). Also found rocky or coral areas (Ref. 13628). A schooling species. Feeds on plants. A protogynous hermaphrodite (Ref. 55367). Super males spawn individually with striped females, while sexually mature males in the striped phase spawn in aggregation.

fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial; price category: high; price reliability: very questionable: based on ex-vessel price for species in this family

Scarus croicensis Bloch

Scarus croicensis Bloch, 1790, p. 27, pl. 221.—Schultz, 1958, p. 106, pls. 21C, 27C.—Winn and Bardach, 1959, p. 296.—Randall, 1963, pp. 228–230, fig. 1, pl. 2A, B.—Randall and Randall, 1963, pp. 53–54—Caldwell, 1963, p. 7 [Costa Rica].—Cervigon, 1966, p. 633, fig. 273.—Stark and Davis, 1966, p. 338 [night habits].

Scarus alternans Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1839, p. 200.—Bauchot and Guibè, 1960, p. 291 [syntypes nos. 2468 and 2469 in the Paris Museum].

Scarus punctulatus Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1839, p. 195.—Bauchot and Guibè, 1960, p. 296 [holotype no. 2466 in Paris Museum].

Characterized by having 6 to 8 median predorsal scales; 3 rows of scales on cheek and usually 2 or 3 in ventral row; 5 to 7 (usually 6) scales in the dorsal row on cheek; ii,12, rarely ii,11 or ii,13, pectoral rays; lips almost covering white teeth.

Females and small males characterized by having distinct light and dark stripes on upper half of body; caudal fin uniform whitish to light dusky without any dark on upper and lower edges of caudal fin; upper pale streak on body not extending to eye but ending slightly above and behind eye.

Adult male: Snout yellowish; underside of head pink; area over pectoral pink, with streak extending forward on head above orbit; caudal fin with upper and lower edges blue, center of fin with alternating yellow and blue streaks parallel with rays; edges of dorsal and anal fins blue, center yellow with blue markings. Bright yellow spot just above pectoral base.

RANGE.—Central and western Atlantic Ocean.