Chlorurus is a genus of parrotfish from the Indian and Pacific Oceans.[ 3] [ 4]
The word ' Chlorurus ' comes from the Greek words 'chloros', which means green and 'oura', which means tail.
C. enneacanthus with an initial phase Scarus scaber , in the Maldives
Chlorurus is most closely related to its sister genus Scarus . Most recent phylogenetic analyses find that the two genera diverged during the late Miocene (Messinian ).[ 5] In both genera, most of their diversification occurred some time later, within the last 3.5 million years during the Pliocene .[ 6] In contrast, coral reefs in their modern form were established much earlier, during the Miocene.[ 5]
A 2012 phylogenetic analysis of 16 of the 18 Chlorurus species recovered 5 major monophyletic clades.[ 5]
There are 18 species:[ 4]
Species
Terminal phase
Initial phase
Chlorurus atrilunula
(Randall & Bruce , 1983)
Chlorurus bleekeri
(de Beaufort , 1940)
Chlorurus bowersi
(Snyder , 1909)
Chlorurus capistratoides
(Bleeker, 1847)
Chlorurus cyanescens
(Valenciennes , 1840)
File:Chlorurus cyanescens, anchor Ponta do Ouro, Mozambique imported from iNaturalist photo 64075420.jpg
Chlorurus enneacanthus
(Lacépède , 1802)
File:Chlorurus enneacanthus, Alifu Dhaalu Atoll, Maldives imported from iNaturalist photo 188457855 (cropped).jpg
Chlorurus frontalis
(Valenciennes, 1840)
File:Chlorurus frontalis, Cook Islands imported from iNaturalist photo 190588119 (cropped).jpg
Chlorurus genazonatus
(Randall & Bruce, 1983)
File:Chlorurus genazonatus imported from iNaturalist photo 282237771 on 4 March 2025 (cropped).jpg
Chlorurus gibbus
(Rüppell, 1829)
File:Chlorurus gibbus 581307654 (cropped 2).jpg
File:Chlorurus gibbus, Marsa Alam, Red Sea Governorate, Egitto imported from iNaturalist photo 247243011 (cropped).jpg
Chlorurus japanensis
(Bloch , 1789)
File:Chlorurus japanensis, 深澳岬象鼻岩南側(東北角) imported from iNaturalist photo 129315315 (cropped).jpg
Chlorurus microrhinos
(Bleeker, 1854)
File:Corl0216 (27688336984) (cropped).jpg
File:Steephead Parrotfish, Raroia, French Polynesia imported from iNaturalist photo 301718134 (cropped).jpg
Chlorurus oedema
(Snyder, 1909)
Chlorurus perspicillatus
(Steindachner , 1879)
File:Chlorurus perspicillatus 23969763 (cropped).jpg
File:Chlorurus perspicillatus 23969376 (cropped).jpg
Chlorurus rhakoura
Randall & Anderson, 1997
File:Chlorurus rhakoura, Thailand imported from iNaturalist photo 254172488 (cropped).jpg
Chlorurus sordidus
(Forsskål , 1775)
File:Chlorurus sordidus, Anantara Kihavah-huravalhi, house reef, Baa Atoll, Maldives imported from iNaturalist photo 296761479.jpg
Chlorurus spilurus
(Valenciennes, 1840)
File:Pacific bullethead parrotfish (Chlorurus spilurus) (49252340073).jpg
Chlorurus strongylocephalus
(Bleeker, 1855)
File:Chlorurus strongylocephalus 296762599 (cropped).jpg
File:Chlorurus strongylocephalus 420754124.jpg
Chlorurus troschelii
(Bleeker, 1853)
File:Greenhead Parrotfish, Bunaken Island (cropped).jpg
File:Chlorurus troschelii 262636846 (cropped).jpg
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Chlorurus .
^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Lua error in Module:Taxonbar at line 165: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).