COMMENTS
v. 17.0 – 21 Jan. 2026  view/download PDF

Family LABRIDAE Wrasses and Parrotfishes part 1)

Subfamily HYPSIGENYINAE Tuskfishes
Subfamily name from Hypsigenys Günther 1861, now a synonym of Choerodon. hypsi-, from hypsēlós (Gr. ὑψηλός), high; génys (Gr. γένυς), jaw (usually the cheek or lower jaw in ichthyology), described as having “high” cheeks in Günther (1862).

Achoerodus Gill 1863    a-, without; choiros, hog; odous, tooth, presumably referring to “obsolete” posterior canine teeth of A. gouldii compared to “developed” posterior canine teeth of other hogfishes, specifically Euphysocara, Gymnopropoma, Harpe and Lepidaplois (all synonyms or subgenera of Bodianus)

Achoerodus gouldii (Richardson 1843)    in honor of John Gould (1804-1881), British ornithologist, artist and taxidermist, who collected type during his 19- month (1838-1839) trip to Australia

Achoerodus viridis (Steindachner 1866)    green, described as having a light-green body and sides of head (perhaps color in alcohol; in life, adult males are bright blue to greenish blue)

Anchichoerops Barnard 1927    anchi-, near, i.e., very similar to (and previously identified as) Choerops (=Choerodon)

Anchichoerops natalensis (Gilchrist & Thompson 1909)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: KwaZulu-Natal coast, South Africa, southwestern Indian Ocean, type locality

Bodianus Bloch 1790    tautonymous with B. bodianus (=rufus), Latinization of Bodiano, variant of Pudiano, Portuguese name of larger labroid fishes in Brazil; according to Jordan & Evermann (1896), derived from from pudor, modesty, cognate with Doncella, Señorita and similar vernacular names given to larger and plainly colored fishes

Subgenus Bodianus

Bodianus diplotaenia (Gill 1862)    diplos, twofold; taenia, band, referring to two prominent dark stripes on body of juveniles and initial-phase adults

Bodianus eclancheri (Valenciennes 1846)    in honor of Charles René Augustin L’Eclancher (also spelled Léclancher, 1804-1857), naval surgeon aboard La Vénus, from which type was collected (name dates to plate; identity of patronym revealed in text published in 1855)

Bodianus insularis Gomon & Lubbock 1980    of an island, referring to its apparent restriction to islands associated with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge [possibly a synonym of B. pulchellus]

Bodianus pulchellus (Poey 1860)    diminutive of pulcher, beautiful, i.e., pretty, referring to its attractive coloration; indeed, Poey called it a “beau poisson”

Bodianus rufus (Linnaeus 1758)    red or reddish, presumably referring to overall reddish-yellow coloration of some large specimens

Subgenus Diastodon Bowdich 1825    diastole, spread; odon, tooth, referring to “4 strong irregular teeth very wide apart in each jaw” of B. speciosus [italics in original]

Bodianus albotaeniatus (Valenciennes 1839)    albus, white; taeniatus, banded, referring to white expanse below dark head stripe intersecting eye ventrally in adults of moderate size

Bodianus atrolumbus (Valenciennes 1839)    atro-, black; lumbus, loin, referring to large black area on lower back of adults

Bodianus bilunulatus (Lacepède 1801)    bi-, two; lunulatus, somewhat moon shaped, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to lunate caudal fin (double emarginate with filamentous lobes)

Bodianus busellatus Gomon 2006    bu-, large; sellatus, saddled, referring to large black saddle-like spot on caudal peduncle, considerably larger than those of B. albotaeniatus and B. bilunulatus

Bodianus loxozonus (Snyder 1908)    loxos, slanting; zonus, belt, referring to prominent black oblique band posteriorly on body of adults

Bodianus macrognathos (Morris 1974)    macro-, large; gnathos, jaw, referring to its “unusually massive” lower jaw

Bodianus macrourus (Lacepède 1801)    macro-, long; oura, tailed, referring to elongate tail as depicted in pencil drawing on which description was based

Bodianus perditio (Quoy & Gaimard 1834)    ruin or destruction, referring to precarious position of the corvette Astrolabe, stranded on the reefs of Tonga in the South Pacific; facing the “perdition” in which ship, crew and all the specimens it collected would be lost, Quoy resolutely stuck to the work of illustrating this species (ship, crew and illustration survived but type specimen did not)

Bodianus solatus Gomon 2006    sunburnt, referring to dominant reddish coloration of adults

Bodianus speciosus (Bowdich 1825)    beautiful, “the whole fish is of a rose-colour, with shades of violet, which give it a very beautiful appearance”

Subgenus Euhypsocara Gill 1863    eu-, well; hypso-, high; kara, head, referring to “high” head of B. anthioides, with a convexly rounded forehead

Bodianus africanus (Heiser, Moura & Robertson 2000)    African, known only from the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, located 320 m west of the Gabonese coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea

Bodianus anthioides (Bennett 1832)    –oides, having the form of: allusion not explained, presumably referring to similarity to various anthiine serranid species (e.g., those of the genus Anthias)

Bodianus brasiliensis (Heiser, Moura & Robertson 2000)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: off the coast of Espirito Santo, Brazil, only known area of occurrence

Bodianus parrae (Bloch & Schneider 1801)    in honor of Portuguese-Cuban naturalist Antonio Parra (1739-?), who described but did not name this wrasse in 1787 [although named after a man, “ae” is an acceptable way to form a genitive from a masculine noun that ends in “a”]

Subgenus Lepidaplois Gill 1862    etymology not explained; according to Gomon (2006), derived from lepido-, scale, and ploion, floating vessel or ship, “in apparent reference to it as a scaly fish”

Bodianus axillaris (Bennett 1832)    axillaris, armpit or axil, referring to prominent round black spot at base of pectoral fin

Bodianus mesothorax (Bloch & Schneider 1801)    mesos, middle; thorax, breast or chest, allusion not explained nor evident; according to Gomon (2006), “apparently in reference to the prominent diagonal black band on the body of adults”

Bodianus neilli (Day 1867)    in honor of Scottish physician Andrew Charles Brisbane Neill (1814-1891), Madras Medical Service (retired), “esteemed correspondent” who communicated with Albert Günther and Pieter Bleeker on Day’s behalf and helped Day bring his 1865 Fishes of Malabar to press

Subgenus Paralepidaplois Gomon 2006    para-, near, referring to close relationship with the subgenus Lepidaplois

Bodianus diana (Lacepède 1801)    etymology not explained, perhaps named for Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals (later associated with the moon), possibly (per Gomon 2006) referring to its beautiful coloration and form

Bodianus dictynna Gomon 2006    Dictynna, another name for Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals (later associated with the moon), referring to its extreme similarity to and close relationship with B. diana

Bodianus prognathus Lobel 1981    pro-, forward; gnathus, jaw, referring to its extremely elongate snout (and jaws), especially in adults

Subgenus Peneverreo Gomon 2006    pene, near, referring to close relationships and similarity of color patterns to members of the subgenus Verreo

Bodianus leucosticticus (Bennett 1832)    leukos, white; sticticus, spotted, referring to row of white spots along back of adults in life

Bodianus paraleucosticticus Gomon 2006    para-, near, referring to close relationship with the “extremely similar” B. leucosticticus

Bodianus rubrisos Gomon 2006    ruber, red; sos, presumably alluding to SOS (Morse Code distress signal), referring to series of red Morse Code-like dots and dashes that make up its distinctive color pattern

Bodianus trilineatus (Fowler 1934)    tri-, three; lineatus, lined, referring to three prominent dark stripes on sides of juveniles and initial-phase adults

Subgenus Priobodianus Gomon 2006    prio-, earlier or fomer, referring to primitive features in species of this subgenus and the hypothesized early, if not initial, divergence of this line within the evolution of Bodianus

Bodianus cylindriatus (Tanaka 1930)    rounded or cylindrical, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to any or all of the following: “upper contour evenly curved,” “evenly curved profile” of head, and pointed snout with “evenly curved profile”; Gomon (2006) said name is “apparently in reference to [its] narrow body”

Bodianus thoracotaeniatus Yamamoto 1982    thorakos, breastplate; taeniatus, ribboned, referring to prolonged, filamentous pelvic-fin ray

Subgenus Pseudolepidaplois Bauchot & Blanc 1961    pseudo-, false, i.e., although Pseudolepidaplois pfaffi (=B. scrofa) may resemble Lepidaplois (then considered a full genus), such an appearance is false

Bodianus darwini (Jenyns 1842)    in honor of English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882), whose “researches in the Galapagos Archipelago, where he obtained [type of this wrasse], have been so productive in bringing to light new forms”

Bodianus pulcher (Ayres 1854)    beautiful, presumably referring to color of terminal-phase males, black with a red-pink midsection

Bodianus reticulatus (Valenciennes 1839)    net-like, referring to appearance of its scales, which “form a tight mesh network all over the body” (translation)

Bodianus scrofa (Valenciennes 1839)    Latin for breeding sow, presumably referring to the common name “le labre porc,” also known as “hogfish,” so named for the elongated snout of many wrasses, which they use to root for food buried in sediment

Subgenus Trochocopus Günther 1862    etymology not explained; according to Gomon (2006), derived from trochos, anything round, and kope, oar, referring to rounded oar-shaped spot on gill cover of B. opercularis

Bodianus bennetti Gomon & Walsh 2016    in honor of Timothy Bennett (b. 1960), Australian diver and marine aquarium-fish collector, who collected type

Bodianus bimaculatus Allen 1973    bi-, two; maculatus, spotted, referring to characteristic black spots on opercle and caudal peduncle

Bodianus izuensis Araga & Yoshino 1975    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Izu Oceanic Park, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, type locality (also occurs near Sydney, Australia, and Bularia, New Caledonia)

Bodianus masudai Araga & Yoshino 1975    in honor of Hajime Masuda (1921-2005), University of Tokyo, who collected type and co-authored study in which description appeared

Bodianus neopercularis Gomon 2006    neo-, new, i.e., a new species similar to B. opercularis

Bodianus opercularis (Guichenot 1847)    opercular, referring to prominent black spot on gill cover

Bodianus sanguineus (Jordan & Evermann 1903)    bloody or blood-red, referring to color of head and trunk

Bodianus sepiacaudus Gomon 2006    sepia, ink; caudus, tail, referring to inky black caudal peduncle and caudal-fin base

Bodianus tanyokidus Gomon & Madden 1981    tany, long; okidus, earring, black, dorsoventrally elongate spot on operculum

Subgenus Verreo Jordan & Snyder 1902    from verres, a young boar, referring to the common names “boarfish” and “pigfish” widely used for members of Bodianus

Bodianus bathycapros Gomon 2006    bathys, deep; kapros, wild boar, referring to deep-dwelling habits of the Hawaiian “pigfish”

Bodianus flavifrons Gomon 2001    flavus, yellow; frons, brow or forehead, referring to distinctive yellow markings on head of adults

Bodianus flavipinnis Gomon 2001    flavus, yellow; pinnis, fin, referring to bright-yellow pectoral fins

Bodianus frenchii (Klunzinger 1879)    in honor of Herrn (Mr.) French (forename not given), assistant to Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Müller (1825-1896), who collected many Australian fishes described by Klunzinger, including type of this one

Bodianus oxycephalus (Bleeker 1862)    oxy, sharp; cephalus, head, referring to its sharply pointed head

Bodianus unimaculatus (Günther 1862)    uni-, one; maculatus, spotted, referring to oblong deep-black spot usually present on middle dorsal-fin spines

Bodianus vulpinus (Richardson 1850)    fox-like, allusion not explained, perhaps referring “strong series of [canine] teeth [that] give it a sinister look” when jaw are protracted (Gomon 2006 suggests it is named for “elongate fox-like snout”)           

Choerodon Bleeker 1847    choiros, pig; odon, tooth, referring to prominent anterior canines, which Bleeker called “slagtanden” (tusks), hence the common name tuskfish

Subgenus Choerodon

Choerodon anchorago (Bloch 1791)    –ago, like, i.e., anchor-like, referring to teeth in lower jaw “anchored in front and inwardly and outwardly curved on the sides” (translation), prompting Bloch to call it “Ankerzahn” (Anchortooth) in German (Gomon 2017 is incorrect in saying that name may refer to anchor-like color pattern)

Choerodon cauteroma Gomon & Allen 1987    Latin for a brand, referring to characteristic prominent brand-like black mark on upper portion of side below the seventh dorsal spine 

Choerodon cephalotes (Castelnau 1875)    headed, presumably referring to large head, ¹⁄3 of SL, with a “prominent and very convex” forehead

Choerodon cyanodus (Richardson 1843)    cyano-, blue; odus, teeth, referring to “azure blue” canine teeth

Choerodon graphicus (De Vis 1885)    of writing, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to 7-8 “broad black cross bands confluent in the middle or on the dorsum,” which with some imagination could be said to resemble letters

Choerodon oligacanthus (Bleeker 1851)    oligos, few; acanthus, thorn or spine, referring to fewer dorsal-fin spines (13) compared to presumed congeners in Crenilabrus (=Symphodus, 13-18, usually 14-17)

Choerodon rubescens (Günther 1862)    reddish; described from a skin, Günther assumed it had a reddish body color (color is yellowish-brown in juveniles to pinkish-grey or greenish-blue in large males)

Choerodon schoenleinii (Valenciennes 1839)    in honor of Johann Lucas Schönlein (1793-1864), German naturalist and professor of medicine (named at the request of zoologist-geologist Louis Agassiz [1807-1873], who supplied color illustration from which species was described)

Choerodon venustus (De Vis 1884)    beautiful, allusion not explained, probably referring to its attractive coloration (adults bluish-green with reddish sides, white belly, and a blue dot on each scale)

Subgenus Aspiurochilus Fowler 1956    aspis, shield and oura, tail, referring to large scales of caudal-fin base of Crenilabrus stejnegeri (=Choerodon azurio); cheilus, although identified by Fowler as meaning “lip,” its inclusion in the name was not explained and its relevance is not evident

Choerodon azurio (Jordan & Snyder 1901)    azure, allusion not explained, probably referring to blue bars on body scales and/or blue distal margins on dorsal, anal and caudal fins of initial-phase adults

Choerodon cypselurus Gomon 2017    kypselos, swallow (bird); oura, tail, referring to characteristic swallowtail-like caudal fin, unlike other members of the C. azurio clade

Choerodon monostigma Ogilby 1910    mono-, one; stigma, mark or spot, referring to characteristic violet-to-black spot between last three spines of dorsal fin

Choerodon robustus (Günther 1862)    full-bodied or stout, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to stouter body compared to the much more slender C. typus

Choerodon zamboangae (Seale & Bean 1907)    of Zamboanga, Philippines, type locality (also occurs off Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and northern Australia)

Subgenus Lienardella Fowler & Bean 1928    –ella, diminutive connoting endearment: named for ichthyologist Élizé Liénard (1808-1876), author of several early papers on the fishes of Mauritius (although C. fasciatus does not occur there)

Choerodon fasciatus (Günther 1867)    banded, referring to “bluish-ashy cross bands each edged with violet” on head and body (presumably color of dried type specimens; adults have brilliant red bands in life)

Subgenus Lutjanilabrus Gomon 2017    lutjan, from ikan (=fish) lutjang, Malayan vernacular for snappers (Lutjaniformes: Lutjanidae: Lutjanus), referring to its snapper-like form; Labrus, type genus of family, used here as a general suffix for wrasse

Choerodon vitta Ogilby 1910    ribbon or stripe, referring to broad blackish band on middle of body from behind eye to caudal peduncle

Subgenus Peaolopesia Smith 1949    –ia, belonging to: patronym not identified but clearly in honor of Peão Lopes, Lourenço Marques Museum (Mozambique), for whom Smith named Oplegnathus peaolopesi in 1947, described as a “most able collector [of fishes] and technician”

Choerodon albofasciatus Gomon 2017   albus, white; fasciatus, banded, referring to prominent white stripe on side as part of its initial phase coloration [replacement name for C. japonicus (Kamohara 1958), preoccupied by Labrus japonicus Valenciennes 1839 when in Choerodon]

Choerodon aurulentus Gomon 2017    ornamented with gold, referring to prominent golden markings on stark-white head and body, including narrow golden horizontal stripe from lower margin of eye to dorsoposterior corner of caudal peduncle

Choerodon frenatus Ogilby 1910    bridled, referring to two dark-blue bands in front of eye, the upper pair meeting across the middle, the lower across tip of snout

Choerodon gomoni Allen & Randall 2002    in honor of Martin F. Gomon (b. 1945), senior curator of fishes, Museum of Victoria (Melbourne, Australia), for his contribution to the our knowledge of wrasses of the tribe Hypsigenyini (now subfamily Hypsigenyinae); he also “generously shared” his knowledge of Choerodon with the authors

Choerodon gymnogenys (Günther 1867)    gymnos, bare or naked; genys, cheek, referring to lack of scales on all but dorsoposterior corner of cheek

Choerodon jordani (Snyder 1908)    in honor of ichthyologist David Starr Jordan (1851-1931), founding President of Stanford University (California, USA)

Choerodon margaritiferus Fowler & Bean 1928    margarita, pearl; fero, to bear, referring to pearlescent spots on side of body

Choerodon skaiopygmaeus Gomon 2017    skaios, western, referring to its distribution in the western Indian Ocean off Somalia; pygmaios, pygmy, a dwarf species, reaching 139 mm SL

Choerodon sugillatum Gomon 1987    black and blue, referring to blue-edged black bar below lateral line under third or fourth dorsal-fin spine

Choerodon zosterophorus (Bleeker 1868)    zosteros, belt or girdle; phora, to bear, referring to oblique bright-white stripe angled across sides

Subgenus Xiphocheilus Bleeker 1856    xiphos, sword or saber; cheilus, lip, referring to compressed upper lip, having a “somewhat saber-like shape” (translation)

Choerodon typus (Bleeker 1856)    etymology not explained, but since Bleeker bestowed 22 other new fish species with the name typus, all of them serving as the type species of new genera, it is reasonable to assume that the same applies here (i.e., type of Xiphocheilus); however, Gomon (2017), apparently unaware of Bleeker’s propensity for using typus for type species, believes the name is from the Greek typos for “figure or mark,” most likely referring to black band on upper sides below central dorsal-fin spines

Decodon Günther 1861    deci-, ten, odon, tooth, referring to 10 canine teeth of D. puellaris (8 anterior, 2 posterior)

Decodon erythroleukos Kanai, Menkara, Nishioka, Chen, Motomura & Tea 2025      erythrós (ἐρυθρός), red; leukós (λευκός), white, referring to caudal fin colored bone-white on proximal two-thirds, abruptly scarlet on distal third

Decodon grandisquamis (Smith 1968)    grandis, large; squamis, scale, referring to “strikingly” large deciduous scales

Decodon melasma Gomon 1974    black spot, referring to characteristic single black mark on each side of body of large specimens

Decodon pacificus (Kamohara 1952)    –icus, belonging to: presumably referring to occurrence in Pacific Ocean off Japan (described from Mimase, Kochi Prefecture; also occurs off Taiwan and northern Australia and in the Indian Ocean off Myanmar)

Decodon puellaris (Poey 1860)    pretty, from puella, girl, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to coloration of adults (reddish above, whitish below, with yellow lines on body), and/or to the fact that 19th-century Cuban fishermen called it doncella, Spanish for maiden, not distinguishing it from Halichoeres garnoti, which usually goes by that name (apparently following a Portuguese tradition of giving labrids vernacular names alluding to women, e.g., Bodianus, Scarus vetula)

Haletta Whitley 1947    –etta, dimunitive connoting endearment: in honor of Herbert M. Hale (1895-1963), Director of the South Australian Museum

Haletta semifasciata (Valenciennes 1840)    semi-, half; fasciatus, banded, referring to 5-6 faint bars or markings on upper body of males

Heteroscarus Castelnau 1872    hetero-, different, i.e., similar and/or presumed to be related to Scarus but differing in a number of characters (e.g., elongate spines of dorsal fin)

Heteroscarus acroptilus (Richardson 1846)    etymology not explained, perhaps akron, peak or tip, and ptilon, wing or feather (i.e., fin), referring to elongate spines of dorsal fin, “tapering to a point”

Lachnolaimus Cuvier 1829    lachnos, wooly; laimos, throat, referring to part of surface pharyngeal covered with a velvety membrane

Lachnolaimus maximus (Walbaum 1792)    largest or greatest, based on “The great Hog Fish” of Catesby (1771), reaching to over a meter in length

Neoodax Castelnau 1875    neo-, new, i.e., a new genus related to Odax

Neoodax balteatus (Valenciennes 1840)    belted, referring to dark midlateral band or stripe typical of juveniles and initial-phase adults

Odax Valenciennes 1840    biting, presumably referring to jaw with front margin modified into a sharp cutting edge that replaces teeth

Odax cyanoallix Ayling & Paxton 1983    cyano-, blue; allix, a man’s coat, referring to “spectacular” blue-bordered dorsal, anal and pelvic fins of terminal-phase males

Odax pullus (Forster 1801)    dark-colored, referring to coloration of adults, with some large terminal-phase males a bright blue (juveniles are reddish to golden brown)

Olisthops Richardson 1850    olisthos, slippery; ops, appearance, referring to scaleless head, “covered with smooth integument”

Olisthops cyanomelas Richardson 1850    cyano-, blue; melas, black, described as “blackish-green” (but contemporary photos show terminal-phase males that are largely bluish-black)

Polylepion Gomon 1977    poly, many; lepion, small scales, referring to relatively numerous lateral-line scales occurring in both species

Polylepion cruentum Gomon 1977    spotted with blood, referring to blood-red marks on caudal peduncle and pectoral-fin base of adults in life

Polylepion gilmorei Baldwin, Arcila, Robertson & Tornabene 2023    in honor of Richard Grant Gilmore, Jr., for contributions to the knowledge of the western Atlantic and Caribbean deep-reef fishes, including the discovery of this species

Polylepion russelli (Gomon & Randall 1975)    in honor of Peter E. Russell (Kaneoke, Oahu, Hawai‘i), who collected type and presented it to the Bishop Museum, and has provided the museum with other “valuable” specimens of fishes (per Gomon & Randall 1978)

Pseudodax Bleeker 1861    pseudo-, false, i.e., although this genus may resemble Odax, with its one species previously placed in it, such an appearance is false

Pseudodax moluccanus (Valenciennes 1840)    –anus, belonging to: Molucca Islands, Indonesia, type locality (widely occurs in Red Sea and Indo-West Pacific)

Siphonognathus Richardson 1858    siphon, tube; gnathus, jaw, referring to “tubular elongation of the palate”

Siphonognathus argyrophanes Richardson 1858    argyros, silver; phanes, visible, referring to bright silvery stripe under lateral line

Siphonognathus attenuatus (Ogilby 1897)    thin or tapered, referring to the “great tenuity” of head and body

Sheardichthys beddomei (Johnston 1885)    in honor of businessman and amateur malacologist Capt. Charles Edward Beddome (1839-1898), who “presented” type to Johnston (Beddome later became a Fisheries Commissioner in Tasmania ca. 1889)

Siphonognathus caninis (Scott 1976)    canine, referring to prominent anterior canine teeth on upper and lower jaws

Siphonognathus radiatus (Quoy & Gaimard 1834)    rayed, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to long dorsal fin, with the first segmented ray prolonged in larger individuals, nearly reaching anal-fin origin

Siphonognathus tanyourus Gomon & Paxton 1986    tany, long; oura, tail, referring to elongate caudal peduncle

Terelabrus Randall & Fourmanoir 1998    teres, terete or cylindrical, referring to body shape of T. rubrovittatus, a “unique” body shape for a labrid fish; Labrus, type genus of family but probably used here as a general term for wrasse

Terelabrus dewapyle Fukui & Motomura 2015    conjunction of the surnames of Shin-ichi Dewa (Kagoshima, Japan) and Richard L. Pyle (b. 1967), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who collected all type specimens

Terelabrus flavocephalus Fukui & Motomura 2016    flavus, yellow; cephalus, head, referring to vivid yellow stripe and blotch on head of living specimens

Terelabrus rubrovittatus Randall & Fourmanoir 1998    rubrum, red; vittatus, striped, referring to two red stripes in life

Terelabrus toretore Shepherd, Pinheiro, Phelps, Siu & Rocha 2023    Tahitian word (described from Tahiti, French Polynesia) for striped, referring to its color pattern

Terelabrus zonalis Fukui 2018    belt or girdle (but in this case meaning stripe), referring to 18 faint silver vertical bands on body in preserved specimens

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Subfamily CIRRHILABRINAE Fairy Wrasses

Cirrhilabrus Temminck & Schlegel 1845    etymology not explained, presumably cirrus, curl or tendril, or cirritus, filamentous, and Labrus, type genus of family, with two possible explanations: referring to long, filamentous ventral fins (presumably of a male C. temminckii, described but not named until 1853), which Temminck & Schlegel said was unique among labrids; or referring to cirrus just behind tip of each dorsal- and anal-fin spine

Cirrhilabrus adornatus Randall & Kunzmann 1998    adorned or decorated, referring to bright-red markings on body and dorsal fin

Cirrhilabrus africanus Victor 2016    African, known from Kenya and presumed to occur off South Africa, Tanzania and Mozambique

Cirrhilabrus apterygia (Allen 1983)    a-, without; pterygia, fin, referring to lack of pelvic fins, its most distinctive feature

Cirrhilabrus aquamarinus Tea, Allen & Dailami 2021    named for the brilliant teal to aquamarine color of males, an unusual color shared with no other species of the genus

Cirrhilabrus aurantidorsalis Allen & Kuiter 1999    aur[antium], orange; dorsalis, back, referring to bright-orange area on upper back of males

Cirrhilabrus balteatus Randall 1988    belted, referring to broad salmon-pink zone dorsoanteriorly on body of male

Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus Randall & Nagareda 2002    bathy, deep; philos, lover (i.e., a noun, lover of the deep), referring to its occurrence in water that is deep (60-217 m) for the genus

Cirrhilabrus beauperryi Allen, Drew & Barber 2008    in honor of Beau Perry on the occasion of his birthday, at the request of his parents, philanthropists Claire and Noel Perry, who have generously supported Conservation International, a leading nongovernmental organization dedicated to preserving global biodiversity

Cirrhilabrus blatteus Springer & Randall 1974    purple, referring to “persistent and distinctive” purple color of certain bones and scales (which persists in preservative)

Cirrhilabrus briangreenei Tea, Pyle & Rocha 2020    in honor of ichthyologist Brian D. Greene (b. 1980), Bishop Museum (Honolulu) and University of Hawaii, “who in addition to collecting the type specimens, has contributed extensively towards the study and exploration of coral-reef diversity (particularly on MCEs [mesophotic coral ecosystems]) through deep technical diving”

Cirrhilabrus brunneus Allen 2006    dusky, dark or tawny, referring to overall color pattern of holotype (mainly dark brown with slight purplish hue)

Cirrhilabrus cenderawasih Allen & Erdmann 2006    named for Cenderawasih Bay, Irian Jaya, Barat Province, Indonesia, type locality

Cirrhilabrus chaliasi Tea, Allen & Dailami 2021    in honor of Vincent Chalias, a “skilled underwater photographer, field biologist, and proponent of coral and fish aquaculture in Bali. He greatly assisted in the description of [this] species through his excellent underwater photographs and detailed field observations”

Cirrhilabrus claire Randall & Pyle 2001    in honor of Claire T. Michihara, wife of Charles “Chip” J. Boyle, who collected type in 1990; they co-own Cook Island Aquarium Fish, a marine-aquarium fish exporter [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “ae”]

Cirrhilabrus condei Allen & Randall 1996    in honor of zoologist Bruno Condé (1920-2004), director of l’Aquarium de Nancy, for his “outstanding service” as editor of Revue française d’Aquariologie (journal in which description appeared) and “valuable” contributions to the aquarium field

Cirrhilabrus cyanogularis Tea, Frable & Gill 2018    cyanos, blue; gularis, throated, referring to extensive blue throat coloration of males

Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura (Bleeker 1851)    cyano-, blue; pleura, side, referring to dark blue-green edges on many scales of males in alcohol (dark purple in life)

Cirrhilabrus earlei Randall & Pyle 2001    in honor of John L. Earle, Association for Marine Exploration, who collected type and was co-collector (with the junior author) of five of the paratypes

Cirrhilabrus efatensis Walsh, Tea & Tanaka 2017    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Éfaté Island, Vanuatu, type locality (also occurs at Espiritu Santo)

Cirrhilabrus exquisitus Smith 1957    exquisite, “an especially beautiful small fish, the colouring exquisite”

Cirrhilabrus filamentosus (Klausewitz 1976)    filamentous, referring to long filament extending from 10th and 11th rays of dorsal fin of males

Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa Tea, Najeeb, Rowlett & Rocha 2022    Dhivehi (Maldivian) for rose, referring to bright magenta and peach to orange-pink coloration of males in life; the pink rose (fiyatoshi finifenmaa in Dhivehi) is also the national flower of the Maldives, where this species occurs

Cirrhilabrus flavidorsalis Randall & Carpenter 1980    flavus, yellow; dorsalis, dorsal, referring to bright-yellow outer half of dorsal fin of males

Cirrhilabrus greeni Allen & Hammer 2017    in honor of Tim Green of Monsoon Aquatics, collector of fishes and corals for the aquarium trade (Darwin, Australia), who collected type

Cirrhilabrus humanni Allen & Erdmann 2012    in honor of Paul Humann (b. 1937), underwater photographer and author, who first sighted this wrasse while diving with fellow photographer-authors Ned and Anna DeLoach; “Paul has been an important contributor to our knowledge of reef fishes through the publications of his company New World Publications, Inc. of Jacksonville, Florida”

Cirrhilabrus hygroxerus Allen & Hammer 2016    hygros, wet; xeros, dry, referring to monsoonal cycle of wet and dry seasons of northern tropical Australia, where it occurs (Timor Sea); name also acknowledges Monsoon Aquatics, a collector of fishes and corals for the aquarium trade (Darwin) that supplied all of the type specimens and “continues to be an excellent source of specimens” for the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (Darwin)

Cirrhilabrus isosceles Tea, Senou & Greene 2016    named for distinctive triangle of color on midportion of caudal fin of terminal-phase males

Cirrhilabrus joanallenae Allen 2000    in honor of Allen’s mother, Joan Mary Allen of Pensacola, Florida (USA)

Cirrhilabrus johnsoni Randall 1988    in honor of David S. Johnson, an underwater photographer at Kwajalein Atoll (Marshall Islands) who first observed this wrasse and helped collect type specimens

Cirrhilabrus jordani Snyder 1904    in honor of ichthyologist David Starr Jordan (1851-1931), who provided “much help” and “many valuable suggestions” in the preparation of the paper in which description appeared

Cirrhilabrus katherinae Randall 1992    in honor of Katherine A. Meyer, late wife of John W. Shepherd, Marine Laboratory at Guam, and named at his request (Shepherd collected and photographed type)

Cirrhilabrus katoi Senou & Hirata 2000    in honor of Shoichi Kato, owner of Regulus Diving (Hachijo Island, Japan), who collected type

Cirrhilabrus laboutei Randall & Lubbock 1982    in honor of Pierre Laboute (b. 1942), marine biologist and professional diver, whose 1976 underwater photo was the first of this colorful wrasse; he advised the senior author where to collect fishes in New Caledonia

Cirrhilabrus lanceolatus Randall & Masuda 1991    leaf-like, referring to distinctive shape of caudal fin, particularly of the male

Cirrhilabrus lineatus Randall & Lubbock 1982    lined, referring to numerous purple lines on head and body of both males and females

Cirrhilabrus lubbocki Randall & Carpenter 1980    in honor of Hugh Roger Lubbock (1951-1981), marine biologist, who obtained the first specimen and suspected that it represented an undescribed species [Lubbock died in a car crash in Rio de Janeiro just shy of his 30th birthday]

Cirrhilabrus lunatus Randall & Masuda 1991    crescent-shaped, referring to lunate caudal fin of the male, then unique to the genus (others have since been described)

Cirrhilabrus luteovittatus Randall 1988    luteus, yellow; vittatus, banded or striped, referring to yellow stripe on lower side of male

Cirrhilabrus marinda Allen, Erdmann & Dailami 2015    in honor of the Bupati and Vice Bupati of Raja Ampat, Marcus Wanma and Inda Arfan, who have “ably led the world’s most marine biodiverse regency since 2003. Under their wise and forward-thinking leadership, Raja Ampat’s coral reefs are now amongst the best managed in the Coral Triangle, with nearly 1.5 million hectares of the archipelago contained within Indonesia’s largest marine protected area network” (name is based on a combination of the first part of their respective names, Mar[cus] and Inda, treated as a noun in apposition without the plural genitive suffix –orum)

Cirrhilabrus marjorie Allen, Randall & Carlson 2003    in honor of Marjorie Awai, Curator of the Florida Aquarium, former Curatorial Assistant, Ichthyology Department, Bishop Museum (Honolulu), and wife of third author [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “ae”]

Cirrhilabrus melanomarginatus Randall & Shen 1978    melanos, black; marginatus, edged or bordered, referring to broad black margin on dorsal fin of specimens as small as 56 mm SL

Cirrhilabrus morrisoni Allen 1999    in honor of Hugh Morrison (b. 1951), longtime friend and owner of Perth Diving Academy, for “much appreciated service” to the Western Australian Museum; he “generously allowed [Allen] and other museum staff to join his diving expeditions and had enthusiastically donated numerous molluscan specimens” to the Museum

Cirrhilabrus nahackyi Walsh & Tanaka 2012    in honor of marine aquarium-fish collector Anthony “Tony” Nahacky, who supplied type specimens and detailed information on type locality

Cirrhilabrus naokoae Randall & Tanaka 2009    in honor of the junior author’s wife Naoka

Cirrhilabrus punctatus Randall & Kuiter 1989    spotted, referring to numerous pale dots on head and body of both male and female color phases

Cirrhilabrus pylei Allen & Randall 1996    in honor of ichthyologist Richard L. Pyle (b. 1967), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who collected type

Cirrhilabrus randalli Allen 1995    in honor of ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), for his “outstanding” contribution to our knowledge of Indo-Pacific coral reef fishes

Cirrhilabrus rhomboidalis Randall 1988    –alis, adjectival suffix: referring to rhomboidal shape of caudal fin

Cirrhilabrus roseafascia Randall & Lubbock 1982    rosea, rosy; fascia, band or stripe, referring to deep-pink stripe along back of females

Cirrhilabrus rubeus Victor 2016    red, referring to bright-red color of terminal-phase males

Cirrhilabrus rubrimarginatus Randall 1992    ruber, red; marginatus, edged or bordered, referring to broad red margins of dorsal and caudal fins

Cirrhilabrus rubripinnis Randall & Carpenter 1980    ruber, red; pinnis, fin, referring to bright-red dorsal, anal and pelvic fins of males (and red on the dorsal and anal fins of females)

Cirrhilabrus rubrisquamis Randall & Emery 1983    ruber-, red; squamis, scale, referring to vertically elongate red mark on each scale

Cirrhilabrus rubriventralis Springer & Randall 1974    rubrum, red; ventralis, of the belly, referring to “brilliant” red pelvic (or ventral) fins of males in life

Cirrhilabrus ryukyuensis Ishikawa 1904    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ryukyu Islands, Japan, type locality (occurs in eastern Pacific from Indonesia and Malaysia to Philippines, north to Taiwan and Japan)

Cirrhilabrus sanguineus Cornic 1987    blood-red, referring to blood-red (or magenta) blotch descending from dorsal-fin to near anal fin of males [Cornic, in a field guide to the fishes of Mauritius, did not intend to name this wrasse but did so anyway when he suggested C. sanguineus would be an appropriate name]

Cirrhilabrus scottorum Randall & Pyle 1989    –orum, commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of Sir Peter (1909-1989) and Lady Philippa Scott (1918-2010), for their “great contribution in nature conservation. Both have a keen interest in marine life of tropic seas, particularly of fishes. They organized the dive cruise to the Coral Sea and accompanied [the authors] to Osprey Reef where [they] collected and photographed this lovely fish. They marveled at the beauty of its color, and Sir Peter painted a portrait of it.” [Sir Peter, an ornithologist and son of Antarctic explorer Robert F. Scott, was one of the founders of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and designed its panda logo]

Cirrhilabrus shutmani Tea & Gill 2017    in honor of Barnett Paul Shutman, RVS Fishworld (a tropical-fish exporter in the Philippines), who provided holotype, paratypes and photos of them

Cirrhilabrus solorensis Bleeker 1853    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Lawajong, Solor Island, Indonesia, type locality

Cirrhilabrus squirei Walsh 2014    in honor of Cadel Squire, who discovered and first collected this wrasse in 2008; he, along with father Lyle, brother Lyle junior, and mother Beverly, have “contributed greatly to the understanding of marine species in Queensland and throughout Australia over many years” (the brothers run Cairns Marine, a marine aquarium-fish exporter)

Cirrhilabrus temminckii Bleeker 1853    in honor of Coenraad Jacob Temminck (1778-1858), director of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (Leiden, Netherlands), who, with Hermann Schlegel, wrote a description of this wrasse but did not name it in their Fauna Japonica (1845)

Cirrhilabrus tonozukai Allen & Kuiter 1999    in honor of underwater photographer Takamasa “Tono” Tonozuka (Denpasar, Bali), who has contributed many “excellent” photos of fishes to both authors, including this species

Cirrhilabrus wakanda Tea, Pinheiro, Shepherd & Rocha 2019    named for the fictional East African nation of Wa-kanda, home of the Marvel Comics’ superhero Black Panther, which, like this mesophotic wrasse (occurring at 50-80 m), “has remained hidden from the world for a long time”; its proposed common name, Vibranium Fairy Wrasse, refers to the fictional metal vibranium, a rare substance found on Wakanda that is woven into Black Panther’s suit, similar to the wrasse’s purple chain-link scale pattern

Cirrhilabrus walindi Allen & Randall 1996    named for Walindi Plantation Resort, located on the edge of Kimbe Bay, New Britain, Papua New Guinea, type locality; Walindi provided logistic assistance during the senior author’s visits there in December 1994 and April 1996

Cirrhilabrus walshi Randall & Pyle 2001    in honor of Fenton Walsh, Cairns Marine (a marine aquarium-fish exporter in Queensland, Australia), who collected type in 1989

Cirrhilabrus xanthozonus Allen, Erdmann & Utama 2024    xanthos, yellow; zonus, unnecessary masculinization of zona (L.), band, referring to the distinctive orange zone on its lower, anterior body

Paracheilinus Fourmanoir 1955    para-, referring to its superficial resemblance to Cheilinus and Pseudocheilinus, to the former in having the second anal-fin spine shorter than the third, and to the latter in having recurved outward pointing canines

Paracheilinus alfiani Allen, Erdmann & Yusmalinda 2016    in honor of dive guide Rahmad “Yann” Alfian (Lombok, Indonesia), who collected type

Paracheilinus amanda Tea & Walsh 2023    in honor of Amanda Hay, ichthyology collections manager at the Australian Museum (Sydney); with “over 25 years of experience in ichthyological collections and research, she has not only contributed significantly towards the study of Australasian fishes, but also supported and assisted the research endeavors of many ichthyologists of all career stages working at the Australian Museum” [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “ae”]

Paracheilinus angulatus Randall & Lubbock 1981    angled, referring to pointed posterior portions of dorsal and anal fins

Paracheilinus attenuatus Randall 1999    drawn out or tapering, referring to lanceolate caudal fin with strongly concave upper and lower posterior margins in adults (rounded in juveniles)

Paracheilinus bellae Randall 1988    in honor of marine biologist Lori Jane Bell, wife of coral-reef biologist Patrick L. Colin and later Co-Director, Manager and Research Scientist, Coral Reef Research Foundation (Koror, Palau), for her research on Marshall Islands fishes (she also helped collect type)

Paracheilinus carpenteri Randall & Lubbock 1981    in honor of ichthyologist Kent E. Carpenter, now at Old Dominion University (Virginia, USA), principal collector of type specimens; “he also assisted the authors in many other ways”

Paracheilinus cyaneus Kuiter & Allen 1999    blue, referring to “spectacular” courtship color of males

Paracheilinus filamentosus Allen 1974    filamentous, referring to numerous (always four or more) filamentous soft dorsal-fin rays of terminal-phase males

Paracheilinus flavianalis Kuiter & Allen 1999    flavus, yellow; analis, anal, referring to anal-fin color of both sexes

Paracheilinus hemitaeniatus Randall & Harmelin-Vivien 1977    hemi-, partial; taeniatus, banded, referring to six longitudinal dark-brown lines on anterior third of body

Paracheilinus lineopunctatus Randall & Lubbock 1981    lineo-, line; punctatus, spotted, referring to longitudinal rows of dark dots and short dashes on body

Paracheilinus mccoskeri Randall & Harmelin-Vivien 1977    in honor of John E. McCosker (b. 1945), California Academy of Sciences, who collected type and described behavior of large males, which swam “jerkily about 1 to 3 feet above the bottom, occasionally turning broadside and momentarily elevating the median fins in an absolutely spectacular display”; because of this, McCosker bestowed the common name “flasher wrasse” used for the genus

Paracheilinus nursalim Allen & Erdmann 2008    in honor of Sjamsul and Itjih Nursalim, “beloved” parents of philanthropists Cherie Nursalim and Michelle Liem, who successfully bid to help conserve this species at a charity auction, and who financially supported Conservation International’s efforts to preserve its habitat [a noun in apposition, without the genitive plural suffix –orum]

Paracheilinus octotaenia Fourmanoir 1955    octo-, eight; taenia, band, referring to eight uninterrupted longitudinal dark lines (blue in life) on body of males (females with four or five)

Paracheilinus paineorum Allen, Erdmann & Yusmalinda 2016    –orum, commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of the Paine family (Dexter, Susan, Mercy, Sam, and Honor), who have “generously” supported the authors’ reef-fish taxonomic efforts since 2009 and have frequently joined them for field investigations

Paracheilinus piscilineatus (Cornic 1987)    piscis, fish; lineatus, lined, referring to how blue lines on side form a stylized shape of a fish [Cornic, in a field guide to the fishes of Mauritius, did not intend to name this wrasse but did so anyway when he suggested Cirrhilabrus (now Paracheilinus) piscilineatus would be an appropriate name]

Paracheilinus rennyae Allen, Erdmann & Yusmalinda 2013    in honor of Renny Kurnia Hadiaty (1960-2019), Curator of Fishes, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, for her “valuable” contributions to our knowledge of Indonesian freshwater and marine fishes, and her “many years of productive ichthyological collaboration with the authors”

Paracheilinus rubricaudalis Randall & Allen 2003    ruber, red; caudalis, tailed, referring to red caudal fin of males

Paracheilinus togeanensis Kuiter & Allen 1999    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Togean (sometimes spelled Togian) Islands, Indonesia, where type locality (Batudaka Island) is situated

Paracheilinus walton Allen & Erdmann 2006    named for the Walton Family Foundation (begun by Walmart founders Sam and Helen Walton) for their “generous support of the Bird’s Head marine biological surveys and substantial financial contribution to Conservation International’s Bird’s Head Seascape marine conservation initiative”

Paracheilinus xanthocirritus Allen, Erdmann & Yusmalinda 2016    xanthos, yellow; cirritus, thread, referring to yellow, thread-like filaments of dorsal fin of terminal-phase males

Pseudocheilinops Schultz 1960    ops, appearance, similar to Pseudocheilinus

Pseudocheilinops ataenia Schultz 1960    a-, without; taenia, ribbon or band, referring to absence of dark streaks on upper sides

Pseudocheilinus Bleeker 1862    pseudo-, false, i.e., although this genus may resemble Cheilinus, with its type species, P. hexataenia, previously placed in it, such an appearance is false

Pseudocheilinus citrinus Randall 1999    citrus, referring to its color in life (“body dull orange, shading to yellow over abdomen”), suggesting the color of fruit of trees of the genus Citrus

Pseudocheilinus dispilus Randall 1999    di-, two; spilos, mark or spot, referring to two conspicuous purple spots on opercle of fresh specimens that persist as deep-blue spots in preserved specimens

Pseudocheilinus evanidus Jordan & Evermann 1903    vanishing, referring to dull brick-red body color with three narrow yellowish streaks in life turning to a light brownish-blue with no trace of the streaks after a year in spirits; color of holotype in spirits is “wholly different from that which it possessed in life, and it would be difficult to believe that such changes had taken place except that the specimen was carefully tagged in the field when the color note in life was taken”

Pseudocheilinus hexataenia (Bleeker 1857)    hexa-, six; taenia, band or ribbon, referring to six orange stripes on sides

Pseudocheilinus ocellatus Randall 1999    having eye-like spots, referring to distinctive ocellated black spot posteriorly on body (numerous small blue spots on caudal fin and soft portions of dorsal and anal fins are also ocellated)

Pseudocheilinus octotaenia Jenkins 1901    octo-, eight; taenia, band or ribbon, referring to eight stripes following middle of longitudinal scale rows along body

Pseudocheilinus tetrataenia Schultz 1960    tetra-, four; taenia, band or ribbon, referring to streak in front of dorsal fin and three streaks on upper side of body (streaks are brown in alcohol, dark-blue in life)

Pteragogus Peters 1855    ptera-, fin; agogos, leading, guiding or attracting, referring to very long pelvic fins of the male (due to prolongation of the first soft ray)

Pteragogus aurigarius (Richardson 1845)    –ius, adjectival suffix: auriga, coachman, allusion not explained, possibly referring to filamentous first and second dorsal-fin spines of males (i.e., like the whip of a carriage driver)

Pteragogus clarkae Randall 2013    in honor of ichthyologist Eugenie Clark (1922-2015), University of Maryland (USA), “not only for her collection of most of the type specimens [in 1951], but also in recognition of her major contribution to the classification and biology of fishes”

Pteragogus cryptus Randall 1981    hidden or secretive, referring to how it exposes itself only briefly as it moves from one area of cover (generally soft coral or benthic algae) to another (this tendency to remain hidden applies to the genus in general)

Pteragogus enneacanthus (Bleeker 1853)    ennea-, nine; acanthus, thorn or spine, presumably referring to nine spines in spinous portion of dorsal fin

Pteragogus flagellifer (Valenciennes 1839)    flagellum, whip; fero, to bear, referring to prolonged filamentous tips on first two dorsal-fin spines of adults

Pteragogus guttatus (Fowler & Bean 1928)    dotted, presumably referring to usually 4-5 widely spaced, small dark spots in horizontal row along middle of side

Pteragogus pelycus Randall 1981    Greek for pelvis, referring to very long pelvic fins of males (due to prolongation of first soft ray)

Pteragogus taeniops (Peters 1855)    taenia, ribbon or band; ops, eye, referring to vertical brown band (violet in life) on head, through eye towards throat

Pteragogus trispilus Randall 2013    tri-, three; spilos, mark or spot, referring to three black spots anteriorly on dorsal fin of males, one on each of the first three membranes (usually just two on females)

Pteragogus turdus Iino & Motomura 2022    Latin for thrush, referring to white stripe extending from tip of snout tip to upper end of opercle, and an indistinct reticulated pattern on the body, both reminiscent of the Dusky Thrush Turdus eunomus

Pteragogus variabilis Randall 2013    variable, referring to its “great” variation in color, not only in different specimens but also on the same individual

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Subfamily LABRINAE Wrasses

Acantholabrus Valenciennes 1839    acanthus, thorn or spine, i.e., a spiny Labrus, probably referring to five anal-fin spines compared to three in Labrus, type genus of family

Acantholabrus palloni (Risso 1810)    patronym not identified nor evident, although it is intriguing to note that this wrasse was described from the Mediterranean of Nice, France, where at that time the Pallon (later spelled Paillon) River (now covered) entered the sea

Centrolabrus Günther 1861    centron, thorn or spine, allusion not explained, presumably referring to “numerous” (per Günther 1862) dorsal-fin spines and/or five anal-fin spines, i.e., a spiny Labrus

Centrolabrus exoletus (Linnaeus 1758)    antiquated, “said to be in allusion to the anomalous number of 5 spines in the anal” (Jordan & Evermann 1898)

Ctenolabrus Valenciennes 1839    cteno, comb, i.e., a Labrus with a pectinate preoperculum

Ctenolabrus rupestris (Linnaeus 1758)    living among rocks, allusion not explained but this wrasse normally occurs in areas dominated by rocks or boulders with many crevices to hide in

Labrus Linnaeus 1758    a name taken by Artedi from Pliny and Ovid, thought by Artedi (1738) to be from labrum, lip, referring to thick lips

Labrus bergylta Ascanius 1767    from berggylt, Norwegian word for wrasse (described from Stavanger, Norway)

Labrus merula Linnaeus 1758    Latin for blackbird, applied to this wrasse since at least Aldrovandi’s De Piscibus libri V (1638), perhaps referring to blackish-blue color of older adults

Labrus mixtus Linnaeus 1758    mixing (i.e., varied), perhaps referring to varied blue and orange colors (“e flavo caeruleoque varius”), especially males, which have blue heads and orange bodies streaked with blue

Labrus viridis Linnaeus 1758    green, referring to bright-green body color

Lappanella Jordan 1890    etymology not explained, possibly a local Italian name for L. fasciata, itself a diminutive of Lappana, a local Italian name for Labrus merula

Lappanella fasciata (Cocco 1833)    banded, presumably referring to six reddish-orange bands traversing silvery lower body

Lappanella guineensis Bauchot 1969    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Gulf of Guinea, type locality (although actually collected from the Atlantic Ocean off Freetown, Sierre Leone, just north of the Gulf)

Symphodus Rafinesque 1810    sym[physis], grown together; –odes, having the form of, referring to “toraciche” (i.e., pelvic fins) of S. fulvescens (=rostratus) joined together by a small transverse membrane

Symphodus bailloni (Valenciennes 1839)    in honor of naturalist Louis Antoine François Baillon (1778-1851), who studied fishes from the English Channel and provided type of this one

Symphodus caeruleus (Azevedo 1999)    blue, referring to “distinctive” nuptial coloration of males

Symphodus cinereus (Bonnaterre 1788)    ash-colored, referring to grayish body color of both sexes

Symphodus doderleini Jordan 1890    in honor of “our excellent friend” Pietro Doderlein (1809-1895), professor of zoology, University of Palermo; he founded the zoological museum there in 1862

Symphodus mediterraneus (Linnaeus 1758)    referring to its occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea (also occurs in Sea of Marmara and eastern Atlantic from Portugal to northern Morocco)

Symphodus melanocercus (Risso 1810)    melas, black; cercus, tail, referring to black caudal fin of both sexes

Symphodus melops (Linnaeus 1758)    melas, black; ops, eye, referring to comma-shaped spot behind eye

Symphodus ocellatus (Linnaeus 1758)    with an eye-like spot, referring to blue-ringed ocellus at base of caudal fin [originally spelled ocellaris, but ocellatus is retained due to prevailing usage]

Symphodus roissali (Risso 1810)    patronym not identified but probably in honor of friend and fellow Niçois, painter Clément Honoré Claude Roassal (also spelled Roissal, 1781-1850)

Symphodus rostratus (Bloch 1791)    beaked, referring to its elongated and pointed snout

Symphodus tinca (Linnaeus 1758)    referring to the Tench, Tinca tinca (Cypriniformes: Tincidae), which this wrasse slightly resembles

Symphodus trutta (Lowe 1834)    Latin for trout, allusion not explained nor evident

Tautoga Mitchill 1814    latinization of Tautog, Native American name for T. onitis in New York (USA)

Tautoga onitis (Linnaeus 1758)    Greek for oregano (or some other kind of mint), allusion not explained nor evident

Tautogolabrus Günther 1862    proposed as a North American subgenus of the European Ctenolabrus, a combination of Tautoga (Native American name for T. onitis) and Labrus

Tautogolabrus adspersus (Walbaum 1792)    speckled or besprinkled, referring to sulphur-colored (but usually brassy) dotted lines on head and back

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Subfamily CHEILININAE Flasher Wrasses

Cheilinus Lacepède 1801    lipped, presumably referring to extensible upper lip of C. trilobatus

Cheilinus abudjubbe Rüppell 1835    from Abu djubbe or Sænuat abu djubbe, Arabic names for this wrasse along the Red Sea

Cheilinus chlorourus (Bloch 1791)    chloros, green; oura, tailed, described (from a dried specimen) and illustrated as having a green tail (color variable depending on age, sex and color phase)

Cheilinus fasciatus (Bloch 1791)    banded, referring to alternating white and blackish or dark-gray bars or bands on sides

Cheilinus lunulatus (Forsskål 1775)    somewhat moon-shaped, referring to yellow crescent-shaped mark on operculum

Cheilinus oxycephalus Bleeker 1853    oxy, sharp; cephalus, head, described as having a pointed head (“capite acuto”)

Cheilinus quinquecinctus Rüppell 1835    quinque, five; cinctus, band or girdle, referring to five yellowish (but often white) vertical bars on body, the fifth at base of caudal fin

Cheilinus trilobatus Lacepède 1801    tri-, three; lobatus, lobed, referring to caudal fin, rounded in the middle (lobe #1) with protruding upper and lower lobes

Cheilinus undulatus Rüppell 1835    wavy, allusion not explained, presumably referring to wavy lines on body of adults

Epibulus Cuvier 1815    one who plots or schemes, based on Bedrieger (deceiver or trickster), Dutch name for E. insidiator given by artist and publisher Louis Renard (ca. 1678-1746) in 1719, who wrote that it “sits at the bottom like a dull fellow,” having a “long snout hidden in the mouth [protrusible jaws], which it throws out with great agility to capture any prey that comes too close” (translation); when not in use the jaws are tucked away inside the mouth, giving the fish a deceptively normal appearance

Epibulus brevis Carlson, Randall & Dawson 2008    short, referring to distinctly smaller size (185 mm SL) compared to E. insidiator (up to 240 mm SL)

Epibulus insidiator (Pallas 1770)    ambusher or lurker, presumably referring to belief among early naturalists that it feeds on terrestrial insects by shooting droplets of water from its elongated snout (a feeding strategy well-known among archerfishes, Carangiformes: Toxotidae); in actuality, this wrasse uses its highly protrusible jaws, which unfold into a tube and can extend up to 65% the length of its head (the most extreme jaw protrusion among fishes), to catch aquatic prey (e.g., small fishes and crustaceans)

Oxycheilinus Gill 1862    oxy, sharp, i.e., a sharp Cheilinus, allusion not explained nor evident; the only characters Gill used to distinguish this genus from Cheilinus were dorsal and anal fins of O. arenatus “angulated at end” rather than “acutely angulated near end”

Oxycheilinus arenatus (Valenciennes 1840)    sanded, referring to black sandy background on back of dried holotype

Oxycheilinus bimaculatus (Valenciennes 1840)    bi-, two; maculatus, spotted, described as having two “rather strong” (translation) spots, one behind eye (pale blue, surrounded by green), the other on the side, on sixth row of scales (very black, without a border)

Oxycheilinus celebicus (Bleeker 1853)    –icus, belonging to: Makassar, Celebes (now Sulawesi), Indonesia, type locality (widely occurs elsewhere in Indo-West Pacific)

Oxycheilinus digramma (Lacepède 1801)    di-, two; gramma, line, referring to lateral line interrupted below posterior portion of dorsal-fin base

Oxycheilinus lineatus Randall, Westneat & Gomon 2003    lined, referring to “strong” linear pattern: body below lateral line with 12 narrow, slightly irregular, dark brown stripes separated by white lines, and above lateral line with similar but more irregular bands

Oxycheilinus mentalis (Rüppell 1828)    relating to the chin, referring to slightly protruding lower jaw

Oxycheilinus nigromarginatus Randall, Westneat & Gomon 2003    nigro-, black; marginatus, margined, referring to conspicuous black posterior margin on caudal fin, the only obvious color marking persisting in preservative

Oxycheilinus orientalis (Günther 1862)    eastern, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its occurrence in Indonesia, east of Cheilinus orientalis (=Oxycheilinus digramma), described from the Red Sea, with which it had been confused

Oxycheilinus samurai Fukui, Muto & Motomura 2016    Japanese warrior, referring to its reddish head and greenish nape, reminiscent of the reddish face and bluish shaved area on either side of the chonmage (topknot) of Japanese samurai

Oxycheilinus unifasciatus (Streets 1877)    uni-, one; fasciatus, banded, referring to white bar or band across caudal-fin base

Wetmorella Fowler & Bean 1928    –ella, diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of ornithologist Alexander Wetmore (1886-1978), assistant secretary, U.S. National Museum, for his interest in Fowler and Bean’s work on Philippine ichthyology

Wetmorella albofasciata Schultz & Marshall 1954    albus, white; fasciata, banded, referring to white slightly diagonal bands on body

Wetmorella bifasciata Schultz & Marshall 1954    bi-, two; fasciata, banded, referring to two white bars across body, one from base of second dorsal-fin spine, and one from base of eighth dorsal-fin spine of juveniles and subadults, sometimes persisting in small adults

Wetmorella nigropinnata (Seale 1901)    nigro-, black; pinnata, finned, referring to large black spot on three anterior rays of dorsal and anal fins, and covering most of pectoral fin

Wetmorella tanakai Randall & Kuiter 2007    in honor of Hiroyuki Tanaka, physician and aquarist, who provided paratypes from his aquaria and photographs of them

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Subfamily SCARINAE Parrotfishes

Bolbometopon Smith 1956    bolbos, swelling; metopon, forehead, referring to large hump on forehead of adults

Bolbometopon muricatum (Valenciennes 1840)    furnished with numerous short hard excrescences, presumably referring to distinct nodules at base of each exposed tooth

Calotomus Gilbert 1890    calo-, beautiful; tomos, cutting, allusion not explained, possibly referring to “regularly imbricated” cutting teeth of C. xenodon (=carolinus), “arranged in regular rows in both jaws”

Calotomus carolinus (Valenciennes 1840)    –inus, belonging to: Caroline Islands, western Pacific Ocean, type locality (widely occurs in Indo-Pacific from East Africa through the Indian Ocean to eastern Pacific Ocean around the Revillagigedo and Galapagos Islands)

Calotomus japonicus (Valenciennes 1840)    Japanese, originally described from Japan (also occurs off Taiwan and South Korea)

Calotomus spinidens (Quoy & Gaimard 1824)    spina, thorn; dens, teeth, described as having jaws “armed with pointed teeth” (translation)

Calotomus viridescens (Rüppell 1835)    greenish, referring to “grass green” (translation) body color (probably referring to terminal-phase males)

Calotomus zonarchus (Jenkins 1903)    zonus, band; archus, anal, referring to four oblique bands on anal fin

Cetoscarus Smith 1956    etymology not explained, perhaps cetos, whale or sea monster, referring to large size (up to 122 cm according to Smith) attained by C. pulchellus (=bicolor); Scarus, ancient Greek word for parrotfish

Cetoscarus bicolor (Rüppell 1829)    bi-, two, i.e., bicolored, described as greenish-yellow above and dark-green below (perhaps an initial-phase female)

Cetoscarus ocellatus (Valenciennes 1840)    with an eye-like spot, referring to orange-ringed ocellus on dorsal fin of juveniles

Chlorurus Swainson 1839    chloros, green; oura, tail, allusion not explained, possibly referring to green-violet tail of type species, C. gibbus

Chlorurus atrilunula (Randall & Bruce 1983)    atri-, black; lunula, crescent, referring to black crescentic mark on posterior caudal fin of preserved specimens

Chlorurus bleekeri (de Beaufort 1940)    in honor of Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker (1819-1878), who identified this species as Scarus quoyi in 1853

Chlorurus bowersi (Snyder 1909)    in honor of politician George M. Bowers (1863-1925), head of the U.S. Fish Commission, whose fisheries steamer Albatross collected type

Chlorurus capistratoides (Bleeker 1847)    –oides, having the form of: similar to Scarus capistratus Valenciennes 1840 (an unidentifiable species with no type specimens) in body shape and color but differing in dentition, squamation and in having non-elongate caudal-fin rays (Bleeker mentioned that the former taxon may be a juvenile of the latter)

Chlorurus cyanescens (Valenciennes 1840)    bluish, referring to bluish-gray body color in life (greenish-brown in alcohol)

Chlorurus enneacanthus (Lacepède 1802)    ennea, nine; acanthus, thorn or spine, referring to nine spines on dorsal and anal fins

Chlorurus frontalis (Valenciennes 1840)    frontal, also used to indicate forehead, presumably referring to large green blotch on forehead based on proposed common name, “Front Tacheté”

Chlorurus genazonatus (Randall & Bruce 1983)    genys, cheek; zonatus, banded, referring to broad bands of purple and blue-green on cheek of terminal males, its most conspicuous color marking

Chlorurus gibbus (Rüppell 1829)    hump, referring to fleshy knob on forehead of large males

Chlorurus japanensis (Bloch 1789)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Japan (possibly Indonesia), type locality (occurs in Indo-West Pacific from East Africa and western Mascarenes east to Tonga, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to Queensland [Australia] and New Caledonia)

Chlorurus microrhinos (Bleeker 1854)    micro-, small; rhinos, nose, referring to its nostrils, described as “microscopic” and “scarcely visible” (translations)

Chlorurus oedema (Snyder 1909)    swelling or tumor, referring to fleshy knob on forehead of large males

Chlorurus perspicillatus (Steindachner 1879)    spectacled, allusion not explained, probably referring to blue-outlined saddle-like bars just in front of eyes

Chlorurus rhakoura Randall & Anderson 1997    rhakos, rag; oura, tail, referring to ragged posterior margin of caudal fin

Chlorurus sordidus (Forsskål 1775)    dirty, presumably referring to rusty brown (“fusco ferrugineo”) body color, possibly a female (males are greenish)

Chlorurus spilurus (Valenciennes 1840)    spilos, mark or spot; oura, tailed, referring to yellow (described as black in contemporary accounts) spot or patch at caudal-fin base of females

Chlorurus strongylocephalus (Bleeker 1855)    strongylos, round; cephalus, head, referring to “circular profile of the head” (translation)

Chlorurus troschelii (Bleeker 1853)    in honor of zoologist Franz Hermann Troschel (1810-1882), “whose ichthyological works are widely known” (translation)

Cryptotomus Cope 1871    cryptos, hidden; tomus, cutting (teeth), presumably referring to “Interior series of teeth in both jaws consolidated into a single cutting body on each side,” i.e., the teeth form a more or less continuous cutting edge and therefore are not clearly recognizable as teeth

Cryptotomus roseus Cope 1871    rosy, referring to “rosy purple” body color, most purple on the cheeks

Hipposcarus Smith 1956    hippos, horse, referring to its “typical horse-like snout”; Scarus, original genus of H. harid

Hipposcarus harid (Forsskål 1775)    Arabic name for this parrotfish along the Red Sea (but widely occurs in the Indian Ocean)

Hipposcarus longiceps (Valenciennes 1840)    longus, long; ceps, head, referring to elongate head, almost twice as long as its tail

Leptoscarus Swainson 1839    leptos, thin or slender, proposed as a “slender, elongated, fusiform” subgenus of Scarus

Leptoscarus vaigiensis (Quoy & Gaimard 1824)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Pulau Waigeo (or Vaigiou), Papua Barat, Indonesia, type locality (but widely occurs in Red-Sea and elsewhere in the Indo-West Pacific)

Nicholsina Fowler 1915    –ina, belonging to: John Treadwell Nichols (1883-1958), curator of fishes, American Museum of Natural History

Nicholsina collettei Schultz 1968    in honor of Bruce B. Collette (b. 1935), Schultz’ ichthyological colleague at the Smithsonian Institution (and now Senior Systematic Zoologist, National Marine Fisheries Service), who collected type

Nicholsina denticulata (Evermann & Radcliffe 1917)    small-toothed or denticulate (finely toothed or notched), allusion not explained but distinguished in part by its incisor-like teeth, which do not form a solid beak

Nicholsina usta (Valenciennes 1840)    burned or scorched, allusion not explained, described as exhibiting a “beautiful aurora red” (translation) in alcohol, with some specimens having brown at the base of each scale, and dried specimens taking on a grayish color

Scarus Forsskål 1775    skaros, ancient Greek name of Sparisoma cretense, said by Rondelet (1554) to be from skairon, to pasture (i.e., graze), possibly alluding to Aristotle’s belief that Sparisoma cretense was the only known fish to “chew cud like a quadruped” (possibly based on fact that food in the alimentary canal of a parrotfish is often reduced to a pulp by its molar-like pharyngeal teeth)

Scarus altipinnis (Steindachner 1879)    altus, high; pinnis, fin, presumably referring to spinous portion of dorsal fin distinctly higher than soft portion

Scarus arabicus (Steindachner 1902)    Arabian, described from Mukalla, Yemen, Arabian Peninsula (endemic to Indian Ocean)

Scarus caudofasciatus (Günther 1862)    caudo-, tail; fasciatus, banded, referring to three brown crossbands on caudal fin

Scarus chameleon Choat & Randall 1986   named for its chameleon-like ability to rapidly change color

Scarus chinensis (Steindachner 1867)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ningpo, Zhejiang Province, China, type locality

Scarus coelestinus Valenciennes 1840    celestial or heavenly (i.e., sky-blue), referring to the “most beautiful celestial blue” (translation) of its scales

Scarus coeruleus (Edwards 1771)    blue, referring to uniformly blue body color

Scarus collana Rüppell 1835    Italian for necklace, presumably referring to “round emerald green patch that resembles a string of pearls” between each dorsal-fin ray

Scarus compressus (Osburn & Nichols 1916)    compressed, referring to its “much compressed” body

Scarus dimidiatus Bleeker 1859    halved or divided, referring to male coloration, front half of body light, back half dark

Scarus dubius Bennett 1828    doubtful, expressing Bennett’s “considerable doubt” as to the “propriety” of naming this parrotfish without furnishing “characters more clearly distinctive [i.e., colors in life] than are afforded by the specimen” at hand, “long preserved in spirit”

Scarus falcipinnis (Playfair 1868)    falcatus, sickle-shaped; pinnis, fin, referring to falcate caudal fin of terminal-phase males

Scarus ferrugineus Forsskål 1775    rust-colored, referring to reddish-brown to dark-brown color of juveniles and initial-phase females

Scarus festivus Valenciennes 1840    cheerful, gay or merry, allusion not explained, probably referring to coloration of males (including pink, green, blue and yellow)

Scarus flavipectoralis Schultz 1958    flavus, yellow; pectoralis, pectoral, referring to yellow pectoral fin (with blue base)

Scarus forsteni (Bleeker 1861)    in honor of Dutch naturalist Eltio Alegondas Forsten (1811-1843), who collected type (per Bleeker 1862)

Scarus frenatus Lacepède 1802    bridled, referring to bands, one above and one below snout of males, joined near eye and extending to posterior edge of operculum

Scarus fuscocaudalis Randall & Myers 2000    fuscus, dark or dusky; caudalis, of the tail, referring to dark color of large central portion of caudal fin of initial-phase females; “name is also appropriate for the terminal male which can have a dark purple area centrally in the caudal fin”

Scarus fuscopurpureus (Klunzinger 1871)    fuscus, dark or dusky; purpureus, purple, referring to reddish to purplish-brown color of initial-phase females

Scarus ghobban Fabricius 1775    Arabic name for this parrotfish along the Red Sea [authorship often credited to Forsskål]

Scarus globiceps Valenciennes 1840    globus, globe or sphere; cephalus, head, referring to slight convexity in forehead profile of terminal-phase males

Scarus gracilis (Steindachner 1869)    slender, body height described as same as HL and a little more than 3-2.3 times TL (known only from type material; may prove to be initial phase of S. chinensis)

Scarus guacamaia Cuvier 1829    latinization of guacamaya, Spanish word for macaw and local Cuban name for this species, dating to Parra (1787), who ascribed name to both its macaw-like beak and coloration (hence the common name parrotfish)

Scarus hoefleri (Steindachner 1881)    in honor of Steindacher’s “dear friend” (translation) W. Höfler (no other information available), who collected or provided type, and was one of Steindachner’s best suppliers of fishes from Africa

Scarus hypselopterus Bleeker 1853    hypselos, high; pterus, fin, referring to higher dorsal fin compared to S. psittacus and Hipposcarus harid (presumed congener at the time)

Scarus iseri (Bloch 1789)    in honor of German botanist Paul Erdmann Isert (1756-1789), who provided type [some ichthyologists have emended spelling to “isteri” but since Bloch consistently used “Iser” original spelling is retained]

Scarus koputea Randall & Choat 1980    native Marquesan name for female color form (this name is the same for all the islands of the Marquesas; native name for the male, however, is not the same at all islands)

Scarus longipinnis Randall & Choat 1980    longus, long; pinnis, fin, referring to elevated dorsal fin and long pelvic fins (dorsal fin higher and pelvics longer in males than in females)

Scarus maculipinna Westneat, Satapoomin & Randall 2007    maculatus, spotted; pinnis, fin, referring to three distinctive black spots on initial-phase females, one on anterior dorsal fin, one on anterior anal fin from third anal spine to second anal ray, and a small one at base of anterior pectoral-fin ray

Scarus niger Forsskål 1775    black, referring to swarthy (“nigro-fuscus”) body color (actually dark-green in life) of terminal-phase males

Scarus obishime Randall & Earle 1993    local name for this parrotfish in Chichi-jima, Ogasawara Islands, Japan (type locality), from Japanese word for a colorful sash of traditional costume that the Japanese wear around their waists, referring to bright-yellow bar of terminal-phase males

Scarus oviceps Valenciennes 1840    ovi-, oval; ceps, head, referring to head “almost the shape of an egg” (translation)

Scarus ovifrons Temminck & Schlegel 1846    ovi-, oval; frons, forehead, referring to knob-shaped forehead of older adults

Scarus perrico Jordan & Gilbert 1882    local name for parrotfishes with green teeth in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México (type locality), presumably an alternate spelling of perico, Spanish word for parrot or parakeet, presumably referring to fused teeth that form beak-like plates, giving them a parrot-like appearance and/or parrot-like coloration

Scarus persicus Randall & Bruce 1983    Persian, referring to Persian Gulf, type locality

Scarus prasiognathos Valenciennes 1840    prasios, leek-green; gnathos, jaw, referring to its jaws (actually its teeth, fused to form a plate), which “still have a nice green color” in alcohol

Scarus psittacus Forsskål 1775    parrot, an allusion dating to at least Aristotle, who called Sparisoma cretense a “parrot-wrasse,” presumably referring to fused teeth that form beak-like plates, giving them a parrot-like appearance and/or parrot-like coloration (hence the common name parrotfish)

Scarus quoyi Valenciennes 1840    in honor of surgeon-naturalist Jean René Constant Quoy (1790-1869), who, with Joseph Paul Gaimard (1793-1858), provided field notes, painting and underlying specimen(s) upon which description is based

Scarus rivulatus Valenciennes 1840    rivulated, i.e., marked by irregular streaks, referring to wavy bands or lines on snout and cheek of males

Scarus rubroviolaceus Bleeker 1847    ruber, red; violaceus, violet-colored, referring to red-violet edges of the scales (presumably of terminal-phase males)

Scarus russelii Valenciennes 1840    in honor of surgeon-herpetologist Patrick Russell (1726-1805), who illustrated and described (but did not name) this species in 1803 (Valenciennes consistently misspelled Russell’s name by omitting an “l”)

Scarus scaber Valenciennes 1840    rough, described as similar in form to Scarus capitaneus (=Chlorurus enneacanthus) but with rougher scales

Scarus schlegeli (Bleeker 1861)    in honor of ornithologist-herpetologist Hermann Schlegel (1804-1884), who (per Bleeker 1862) supplied type from the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (Leiden, Netherlands)

Scarus spinus (Kner 1868)    spine or thorn, allusion not explained, possibly referring to single conical tooth on side of lower dental plate in females (1-2 on both plates in terminal-phase males)

Scarus taeniopterus Lesson 1829    taenio-, band or ribbon; pterus, fin, referring to yellow stripes on dorsal and anal fins of initial-phase females

Scarus tricolor Bleeker 1847    tri-, three, i.e., tricolored, described as having an olive-violet head and back, blue sides and violet-red belly, presumably referring to a terminal-phase male

Scarus trispinosus Valenciennes 1840    tri-, three; spinosus, spiny or thorny, referring to “three strong points one behind the other at the angle of the upper [jaw]” (translation), allusion not clear, perhaps referring to three posterior canines on each side of upper jaw

Scarus vetula Bloch & Schneider 1801    old woman or old wife, Latin cognate of the Cuban name Vieja as recorded by Parra (1787), apparently following a Portuguese tradition of giving labrids (and other larger fishes, e.g., cichlids and balistids) vernacular names alluding to women

Scarus viridifucatus (Smith 1956)    viridis, green; fucatus, painted or colored, allusion not explained, presumably referring to greenish body color

Scarus xanthopleura Bleeker 1853    xanthos, yellow; pleura, side, referring to “beautiful yellow” (translation) of lower sides

Scarus zelindae Moura, Figueiredo & Sazima 2001    in honor of Zelinda Margarida Andrade Nery Leão, Universidade Federal da Bahia, a “prominent geologist and enthusiastic conservationist” of Brazilian reefs

Scarus zufar Randall & Hoover 1995    Zufar, older name for Dhofar, Oman, type locality (occurs in Indian Ocean from Oman to Pakistan)

Sparisoma Swainson 1839    Sparus, original genus of type species S. abildgaardi (=chrysopterum); soma, body, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to superficial resemblance to porgies (Acanthuriformes: Sparidae)

Sparisoma amplum (Ranzani 1841)    large, referring to larger body size compared to other parrotfishes included in Valenciennes’ Histoire naturelle des poissons (vol. 14, 1840)

Sparisoma atomarium (Poey 1861)    marked with atoms or dots, presumably referring to sides of head dotted with black and/or dots on soft rays of dorsal and anal fins

Sparisoma aurofrenatum (Valenciennes 1840)    aurum, gold; frenatus, bridled, referring to “beautiful orange” (translation; actually scarlet in life) band from mouth, under eye to upper operculum

Sparisoma axillare (Steindachner 1878)    axillaris, of the armpit or axil, referring to large black spot at base of upper pectoral-fin rays

Sparisoma choati Rocha, Brito & Robertson 2012    in honor of marine biologist J. Howard Choat, James Cook University (Queensland, Australia), for “many significant contributions to our knowledge of parrotfish taxonomy, ecology, reproductive biology, demography, evolution and historical biogeography”

Sparisoma chrysopterum (Bloch & Schneider 1801)    chrysos, golden; pterus, finned, referring to orange-to-red dorsal, pelvic and anal fins of terminal-phase males

Sparisoma cretense (Linnaeus 1758)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Mediterranean Sea of Crete, Greece, type locality (also occurs in Sea of Marmara and eastern Atlantic from Portugal south to Senegal)

Sparisoma frondosum (Agassiz 1831)    branched, referring to branched pores of each lateral-line scale

Sparisoma griseorubrum Cervigón 1982    griseo-, gray; rub, red, presumably referring to uniform grayish color of terminal-phase males and reddish color of terminal-phase females

Sparisoma radians (Valenciennes 1840)    radiating, presumably referring to how four posterior canines on each side of upper jaw radiate horizontally, the anterior canines pointing forward and the lateral curved back

Sparisoma rocha Pinheiro, Gasparini & Sazima 2010    in honor of colleague and friend Luiz A. Rocha, Associate Curator, Fishes, California Academy of Sciences, who “pioneered molecular genetics and phylogeography of Brazilian reef fishes”; in addition, rocha means rock in Portuguese, alluding to the volcanic rocky formation of Trindade Island, off southeast Brazil, type locality [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”]

Sparisoma rubripinne (Valenciennes 1840)    ruber, red; pinnis, finned, referring to red anal and pelvic fins of initial-phase females

Sparisoma strigatum (Günther 1862)    streaked with different colors, allusion not explained, described as having “black, shining violet” scales along lateral line

Sparisoma tuiupiranga Gasparini, Joyeux & Floeter 2003    Tupí (native American language once spoken all along the Brazilian coast, where this parrotfish occurs) word meaning “red parakeet,” referring to “splendid” red color of initial-phase adults

Sparisoma viride (Bonnaterre 1788)    green, referring to vivid green body color of terminal-phase males