Habitat: Marine, reef-associated. Over rocky and coral areas as well as Thalassia beds. Depth range 3 - 25 m. Natural History Notes: Schooling species, of small size compared to other parrotishes such as S. taeniopterus. Terminal phase males spawn individually with striped females, while sexually mature males in the striped phase spawn in aggregations. Non Territorial, herbivore. Scrapes algae from rocks and corals. Characteristics: Terminal phase : tail dark blue or green with pink, yellow or orangish linear markings between borders. Gold to yellow spot or stripe above and behind pectoral fin. Blue-green and orange, chest and head pink below a green band at lower edge of eye. Diffuse pink stripe posteriorly on head and on body above pectoral fins. Usually has six scales in the uppermost row below the eye. Juveniles and intemediates : Three dark brown stripes, the uppermost dorsally on back and the lowermost beginning beneath pectoral fin. Region between dark stripes whitish. May have the upperpart of snout yellow. No dark markings on border of tail.