One can routinely see six different species of parrotfish during a single snorkel outing at Mahukona. I don’t know of any other spot in the main Hawaiian Islands where this is the case, and I doubt that many of these locations exist. As I’ve noted before, the fish are rather skittish at Mahukona due to constant spearfishing pressure. The parrotfish in particular do not like to have anything pointed at them—spear or camera. For this reason I’ve had trouble getting photos of all six* parrot species, but last week I finally managed to get a reasonable shot of the most elusive of the bunch—the spectacled parrotfish.
A supermale** spectacled parrotfish. These large endemics are always present at Mahukona, usually in fairly deep water—fifteen feet or deeper. They are supposedly rather rare in the main Hawaiian Islands. The name is appropriate, don’t you think?
Supermale regal parrotfish. Another endemic, also uncommon on the main islands but common in the northwest chain. They are usually pretty easy to find at Mahukona, almost always solitary, but seeming to disappear from time to time. Judging from Hoover, Stender, and Randall, they are typically more of an orange color than the purplish shown here.
Female ember parrotfish. These big, conspicuous parrots are fairly common throughout Hawaii. This photo also shows younger palenose parrots in the foreground and background. (Adults of the extremely common palenose are omitted here, but are shown in several other posts.) Also in this photo are christmas and saddle wrasses, both of which often follow ember parrots around, and a gray chub.
Supermale ember parrot. The dark green “beard” of algae common on this species is apparent here.
Bullethead parrot—the same supermale as shown in a previous post. These are common throughout the Islands.
An initial phase bullethead with orangespine unicornfish
Supermale stareye parrotfish. This one is in very shallow, surgey water on the “first point” at Mahukona, hence the mottled lighting. These are also common throughout the Islands.
Another shot of the same fish. I really like those teeth (click to see them better). These guys look somehow prehistoric to me.
*Seven parrotfish species occur in Hawaii. The seventh, the yellowbar parrot, is very rare outside the northwest chain, and I’ve never seen one.
**Most parrotfish start their adult life in an “initial phase,” either female or in some species both female and male. A subset of older females transform into “supermales” that cultivate female harems and dominate spawning activity. The supermales are typically more colorful than fish in the initial phase. Initial phase parrots are quite variable in coloration and can therefore be difficult to identify.
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