Skip to content

DiscoverSpeciesFish

Japanese Parrotfish

Chlorurus japanensis

  • Fish
  • IUCN: Least concern
  • Usual depth4–21 m
  • Water temperature26–30 °C
  • Best monthsFebruary and April
  • How commonOccasional
All species

Photo credit: (c) 呂一起(Lyu yi-chi), some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Chlorurus japanensis, also known as yellow-blotched parrotfish, redtail parrotfish, palecheek parrotfish, pale bullethead parrotfish and Japanese parrotfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish from the family Scaridae.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Chlorurus japanensis”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

  • January: 21 records
  • February: 493 records
  • March: 289 records
  • April: 400 records
  • May: 18 records
  • June: 78 records
  • July: 230 records
  • August: 43 records
  • September: 23 records
  • October: 82 records
  • November: 16 records
  • December: 10 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 4–21 m · Deepest record: 30.3 m

  • 0–10 m: 629 records
  • 10–20 m: 711 records
  • 20–30 m: 193 records
  • 30–40 m: 7 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 26–30 °C

  • 24–26 °C: 2 records
  • 26–28 °C: 46 records
  • 28–30 °C: 768 records

Names and classification

English
Japanese Parrotfish, Pale Bullethead Parrotfish, Palecheek parrotfish, Red-tailed Parrotfish, Redtail Parrotfish, Yellow-blotched Parrotfish
Names in 5 more languages
Spanish
Loro Rostro Pálido
Filipino
Luro, Lutiin
French
Perroquet à joue pâle, Perroquet de Bloch
Japanese
Shijukara, Shijûkara, シジュウカラ
Simplified Chinese
日本綠鸚哥魚, 日本綠鸚嘴魚, 日本绿鹦嘴鱼, 菜仔魚(雌), 青衫(雄), 鸚哥

Other scientific names: Callyodon abacurus, Callyodon blochi, Callyodon japanensis, Callyodon pyrrhurus, Chlorurus japonensis, Chlorurus pyrrhurus, Scarus blochii, Scarus japanensis, Scarus pyrrhurus, Scarus viridis

Similar species

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

  • Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
  • Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
  • Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
  • 1,728 open-data records from 1789 to 2023.
  • Species data updated October 26, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist

DiveHive uses necessary cookies to work. With your permission we also use analytics to see which pages help. Analytics is off until you say yes, and we never record what you type.

  • NecessaryAlways on: your choice, security.Always on
  • AnalyticsOff unless you accept.Off
Privacy policy