the common name of fish of the family Scaridae, which are found in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate waters around the world. Their teeth are configured somewhat like a parrot's beak, to facilitate their crunching of coral, from which they filter out the algae which they eat, excreting the sand. Their activity is thought to be a principal factor in the wearing down of coral reefs.
Parrotfish are related to the wrasse family, and resemble them both in having bright coloration which varies with age and sex and in their habit of sleeping at night; but some of them grow to a larger size than any wrasse and they can be distinguished by the fusing of their front teeth into a ‘beak’.
The one parrotfish present in the Mediterranean, Sparisoma (formerly Euscarus) cretensis, occurs throughout the eastern basin and all along the southern parts, but is rarely marketed except in Morocco, Cyprus, Turkey, and Greece; its range also includes the E. Atlantic from Portugal and the Azores south to Senegal. It is esteemed as a table fish, but not as much as in classical times, when Roman epicures thought so much of it that the Roman admiral Optatus transplanted some to the west coast of Italy in the hope of establishing a breeding population there. Roman taste in fish was influenced by colour, and it may be that the reddish colour of the females was thought to be especially attractive (males are usually grey-brown or purplish-brown).
The largest parrotfish are found in the W. Atlantic. Both Scarus coeruleus, the blue parrotfish, and S. guacamaia, the rainbow parrotfish, may reach a length of 1.2 m (4′). These species apparently envelop themselves in a mucous ‘envelope’, like a sleeping blanket, at night before falling asleep.
In Asian waters S. ghobban is one of the larger species (maximum length 90 cm/3′) and is sought after by restaurateurs at Hong Kong.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
