Fishes · Bony fishes · Parrotfishes

Ember Parrotfish

Scarus rubroviolaceus Bleeker, 1847

syn. Callyodon africanus, Callyodon jordani, Callyodon ruberrimus, Callyodon rubrovidaceus, Callyodon rubroviolaceus, Margaritodon africanus +4 more

70 cm1-36 mLeast Concern

987

The ember undefined, scientifically known as Scarus rubroviolaceus, is a fascinating marine species belonging to the undefined family, Scaridae. Commonly referred to as the bicolor undefined or redlip undefined, this species is a vibrant inhabitant of the 🇮🇳 Indian and 🌊 Pacific Oceans. It is a tropical fish, generally associated with reefs, and thrives at depths ranging from 1 to 36 meters. The ember undefined can grow up to 70 cm in length.

This species is particularly notable for its wide distribution and abundance, having been spotted from 🇯🇵 Japan to eastern Africa, as well as around the Hawaiian Islands. One of the intriguing aspects of the ember undefined is its striking sexual dimorphism. Males exhibit a bright greenish-blue color, in contrast to the duller brown of the females. Adding to its uniqueness, the ember undefined is a sequential hermaphrodite. This means that it changes sex during its lifetime—a fascinating process beginning with the juveniles, which have undifferentiated sex.

As the fish matures, typically reaching around 32 cm in length by the age of approximately 2.6 years, it becomes a female, adopting a reddish-brown hue. Most will continue as females until about 13 years old and 37 cm in length, when a transformation into a male occurs. However, some individuals may remain female their entire lives. The ember undefined is known to live up to 20 years, feeding primarily on aquatic plants and benthic algae. This diet is facilitated by their beak-like mouths, which they use to scrape these foods off rocks.

In addition to their ecological role, ember undefined also hold commercial value. They are fished and sometimes kept in saltwater aquariums for their striking appearance. Interestingly, the genus name "Scarus" stems from the Greek word "skaros," meaning undefined, reflecting their vivid colors and beak-like mouths. Overall, the ember undefined is a remarkable species that adds vibrancy to the underwater world and offers intriguing insights into aquatic life and adaptations.

Why it's threatened

Biological resource use

Intentional use: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest]

This species is fished in some parts of its range where destructive fishing practices and habitat destruction are prevalent. It is heavily fished in the northern Solomon Islands with evidence of a decline in mean size and numbers of this species in the markets from 2004-2006. It is the second or third most important species in the parrotfish fishery in 2004, but by 2006 the importance of this species in the fishery had declined (J.H. Choat pers comm. 2009).

Parrotfishes show varying degrees of habitat preference and utilization of coral reef habitats, with some species spending the majority of their life stages on coral reefs, while others primarily utilize seagrass beds, mangroves, algal beds, and /or rocky reefs. Although the majority of the parrotfishes occur in mixed habitat (primarily inhabiting seagrass beds, mangroves, and rocky reefs) approximately 78% of these mixed habitat species are experiencing greater than 30% loss of coral reef area and habitat quality across their distributions. Of those species that occur exclusively in coral reef habitat, more than 80% are experiencing a greater than 30% of coral reef loss and degradation across their distributions. However, more research is needed to understand the long-term effects of habitat loss and degradation on these species populations. Widespread coral reef loss and declining habitat conditions are particularly worrying for species that depend on live coral reefs for food and shelter especially as studies have shown that protection of pristine habitats facilitate the persistence of adult populations in species that have spatially separated adult and juvenile habitats. Furthermore, coral reef loss and declining habitat conditions are particularly worrying for some corallivorous excavating parrotfishes that play major roles in reef dynamics and sedimentation (Comeros-Raynal et al. 2012).

Threat classification from the IUCN Red List.

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Related species

Bicolor Parrotfish

Cetoscarus bicolor

Blue-barred Parrotfish

Scarus ghobban

Bridled Parrotfish

Scarus frenatus

Bullethead Parrotfish

Chlorurus soraidus

Last Update: June 28, 2026