Blue Loro Fish: Information and Characteristics
Blue Loro Fish (Scarus Coeruleus) is a marine species included in the perciform order of the Scaridae family. He is known for his colorful blue color that covers his entire body. The parrot fish are close to the wools and are in abundance in the tropical reefs of the oceans around the world. There are about 90 species grouped in 10 genera and one of these is the blue parrot fish.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BLUE LORO FISH
The blue parrot fish is a fish almost completely bright blue, typical of the SCARUS’s Loro Fish species. They are also known as blue parrots, blue kwabs and blue parrots. When they are young, they have a yellow spot on the head that, as they grow, fades into a purple color until they reach intense blue. This species has a life expectancy of approximately 20 years.
Adult specimens measure between 30 and 100 centimeters in length with an approximate weight of 30 kilos. Males are larger than females in most cases, which also tend to develop humps in the head. The name of parrot refers to its peak -shaped jaw, since the teeth have them merged from each other. These teeth are used to scrape the algae of the rocks and corals. They also have pharyngeal teeth, which are the teeth inside the throat. Loro fish use these teeth to crush the rocks and corals they eat, which defecate in white sand form.
This sand is what we find on the tropical beaches. For this reason, parrots fish contribute to the formation of sediments that make up the small islands and sand beaches in the Caribbean. Each parrot can produce up to 450 grams of sand a year. Distribution and habitat of the blue parrot
They are distributed in much of the western Atlantic, from Maryland (United States), Bermuda and Bahamas to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), including Western Indies, although they are absent in the north of the Gulf of Mexico. The blue parrot fish inhabits the coral reef at depths between 3 and 40 meters. Juveniles are located in marine and mangrove algae beds.
Food and reproduction of the blue parrot
Its diet consists essentially of algae that extract from the pieces of coral that are detached from the reefs. To do this, they bite the coral with their teeth in the throat to take off the algae polyps. Loro fish spend 90% of their days by feeding on excessive seaweed growth in corals. They also consume small benthic invertebrates in the sand.
The parrot fish was born with defined sex, although in some cases you can change sex. Those who are born will always be non -dominant males. On the other hand, females when maturing can be transformed into males because they are born with the sexual organs of both sexes. This change of sex within this species ensures that there will always be at least one male to mate with all females.
The males in the reproduction times change a little coloration: they become brighter and more striking to attract females. In addition, males join large groups of females to fertilize eggs. Loro fish are pelagic spawning, which means that they are grouped into an ocean area where currents transport fertilized eggs to float through the open ocean. When eggs open, the larvae float in the epipelagic zone or open ocean zone near the surface. When the larvae become youthful fish (12 to 15 centimeters) descend to the reef ecosystem.
Blue Loro Fish Conservation
The blue parrot fish is currently a vulnerable species. This is due to several factors: overfishing, climate change or ocean acidification for pollution. They are currently classified in the minor concern category of the Red List of Endangered Species of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Loro fish and coral reefs have a symbiotic relationship for centuries. None can live without the other, reefs provide refuge and food to fish, and these in turn control the excessive proliferation of algae in reefs. By consuming them with their teeth, they break the stones and excrete fine sand, which contributes to the formation of the beaches of the Oceanic Coral Islands.
At present, in certain areas of their distribution they urgently need conservation strategies in relation to human activities, in order to preserve these wonderful fish and marine ecosystems that help maintain.
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