species description from Hanauma Bay, a Marine
|REDLIP PARROTFISH ·
uhu palukaluka (initial phase); uhu `ele`ele (terminal phase)
The largest of all Hawaiian parrotfishes, these are common inside the reef at Hanauma, sometimes entering water barely deep enough to cover their backs. When they feed, a Saddle or Christmas Wrasse often follows to nab small creatures dislodged by the grazing giant. Terminal males are light green (darker in front, lighter in back) with a lyre-shape tail fin and a green beak (which often has a "mustache" of dark algae growing on it). The squarish humped snout of large specimens is distinctive. Initial-phase adults are brownish red in front, yellowish gray in back, with numerous short black lines at odd angles on the sides, creating a textured appearance. They may become entirely pale. Their beaks are reddish to white, also with a "mustache." Both initial and terminal-phases may display a subtle or distinct bicolor pattern, front half dark, back half light. The common name refers to the initial-phase, which alone has red coloration around the mouth. The Hawaiian name for the initial phase means "loose bowels parrotfish" (anyone who has seen a parrotfish eject sand from its anus knows why); the word `ele`ele, applied to terminal males, means "black, dark, the black color of Hawaiian eyes." Why this is so is not clear, as their coloration is light. To 28 in. Indo-Pacific and Eastern Pacific. Photos: (above) terminal male; (below) initial phase.
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Text and photos copyright by John P. Hoover