WoRMS taxon details
Scaridae Rafinesque, 1810
- Subfamily Scarinae Rafinesque, 1810
- Genus Bolbometopon Smith, 1956
- Genus Cetoscarus Smith, 1956
- Genus Chlorurus Swainson, 1839
- Genus Hipposcarus Smith, 1956
- Genus Scarus Forsskål, 1775
- Genus Bulbometopon accepted as Bolbometopon Smith, 1956 (misspelling)
- Genus Chlororus accepted as Chlorurus Swainson, 1839 (unaccepted > misspelling - incorrect subsequent spelling)
- Genus Hemistoma Swainson, 1839 accepted as Scarus Forsskål, 1775
- Genus Margaritodon Smith, 1956 accepted as Scarus Forsskål, 1775
- Genus Pseudocarus accepted as Pseudoscarus Bleeker, 1861 accepted as Chlorurus Swainson, 1839 (misspelling)
- Genus Pseudoscarus Bleeker, 1861 accepted as Chlorurus Swainson, 1839 (synonym)
- Genus Sacrus accepted as Scarus Forsskål, 1775 (misspelling)
- Genus Scarius accepted as Scarus Forsskål, 1775 (misspelling)
- Genus Scarops Schultz, 1958 accepted as Scarus Forsskål, 1775
- Genus Ypsiscarus Schultz, 1958 accepted as Scarus Forsskål, 1775 (unaccepted > junior subjective synonym)
- Subfamily Sparisomatinae Gill, 1893
- Genus Calotomus Gilbert, 1890
- Genus Cryptotomus Cope, 1871
- Genus Leptoscarus Swainson, 1839
- Genus Nicholsina Fowler, 1915
- Genus Sparisoma Swainson, 1839
- Genus Calatomus accepted as Calotomus Gilbert, 1890 (unaccepted > misspelling - incorrect subsequent spelling)
- Genus Calliodon Bloch & Schneider, 1801 accepted as Scarus Forsskål, 1775
- Genus Escarus accepted as Euscarus Jordan & Evermann, 1896 accepted as Sparisoma Swainson, 1839 (misspelling)
- Genus Euscarus Jordan & Evermann, 1896 accepted as Sparisoma Swainson, 1839
- Genus Scarichthys Bleeker, 1859 accepted as Leptoscarus Swainson, 1839
- Genus Scaridae [sic] accepted as Scaridea Jenkins, 1903 accepted as Calotomus Gilbert, 1890 (Genus misspelling)
- Genus Scaridea Jenkins, 1903 accepted as Calotomus Gilbert, 1890
- Genus Sparidosoma accepted as Sparisoma Swainson, 1839 (misspelling)
- Genus Xenoscarus Evermann & Radcliffe, 1917 accepted as Nicholsina Fowler, 1915
marine, brackish, terrestrial
Not documented
Description Chiefly tropical. Distribution: Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Jaw teeth fused or parrotlike. Spines in dorsal fin 9;...
Description Chiefly tropical. Distribution: Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Jaw teeth fused or parrotlike. Spines in dorsal fin 9; soft rays 10. Three spines in anal fin; soft rays 9. One spine in pelvic; soft rays 5. Caudal fin with 11 branched rays. Scales large; cycloid. Lateral line with usually 22-24 scales. Vertebrae 25. Herbivorous, usually scraping algae from dead coral substrates. At night, some species rest enveloped in their mucoid secretion. Sex change seems a common occurence, with the females either primary or secondary in most species. Many species could be identified by their live coloration but this may be lost in preservation, or can vary between juveniles and adults and with sex change. [details]
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. (2025). FishBase. Scaridae Rafinesque, 1810. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=125557 on 2025-05-05
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Nomenclature
basis of record
van der Land, J.; Costello, M.J.; Zavodnik, D.; Santos, R.S.; Porteiro, F.M.; Bailly, N.; Eschmeyer, W.N.; Froese, R. (2001). Pisces, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 357-374 (look up in IMIS) [details]
Taxonomy
taxonomy source
Van Der Laan, R.; Eschmeyer, W. N.; Fricke, R. (2014). Family-group names of Recent fishes. <em>Zootaxa.</em> 3882(1): 1-230., available online at https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1 [details] Available for editors 
[request]
[request]Other
context source (PeRMS)
Chirichigno, N.; Cornejo, M. (2001). Catálogo comentado de los peces marinos del Perú. <em>2ª ed. Instituto del Mar de Perú. Publicación Especial. Callao.</em> 314 p. [details]
additional source Fricke, R., Eschmeyer, W. N. & Van der Laan, R. (eds). (2025). ECoF. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Genera, Species, References. <em>California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco.</em> Electronic version accessed dd mmm 2025., available online at http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/Ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp [details]
additional source Fricke, R., Eschmeyer, W. N. & Van der Laan, R. (eds). (2025). ECoF. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Genera, Species, References. <em>California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco.</em> Electronic version accessed dd mmm 2025., available online at http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/Ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp [details]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
Unreviewed
Description Chiefly tropical. Distribution: Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Jaw teeth fused or parrotlike. Spines in dorsal fin 9; soft rays 10. Three spines in anal fin; soft rays 9. One spine in pelvic; soft rays 5. Caudal fin with 11 branched rays. Scales large; cycloid. Lateral line with usually 22-24 scales. Vertebrae 25. Herbivorous, usually scraping algae from dead coral substrates. At night, some species rest enveloped in their mucoid secretion. Sex change seems a common occurence, with the females either primary or secondary in most species. Many species could be identified by their live coloration but this may be lost in preservation, or can vary between juveniles and adults and with sex change. [details]
