This is one that isn’t very common, but does turn up from time to time. 鹦哥鱼 (yīng gē yú), Scaridae, Parrot Fish (or parrotfish). This brightly coloured fish is a member of the large Scaridae family, but that has 90 different species and I have no idea which this is.
These are interesting fish. They are born female, then some of them turn male to breed and can turn back again! When they change sex, they also change colour. They consume mainly algae which they find in coral. Their powerful, hard teeth grind into the coral to extract their dinner, then they excrete sand. Huge amounts of sand. As much as 90 km worth of beach a year each.
It was thought that they were harming the coral reefs, but scientists now believe the reverse as they are eating what are to the coral, parasites and their sand trails can actually form new coral reefs.
WARNING
Parrot fish are known to carry the ciguatera toxin, which is tasteless and cannot be destroyed by cooking. Ciguatera poisoning is seldom fatal (less than 1 in 1,000), but it is a very unpleasant survival and symptoms can linger for months. There is no known antidote.
I wouldn’t eat this one.
