This beautiful fish, the Stoplight Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) was found all throughout my Caribbean adventure, from Cozumel, Mexico all the way down to the reefs of Roatan, Honduras. This beautiful species begins life with black, red and green scales, but as it matures these colors change drastically. Once a Stoplight Parrotfish has fully matured, it will change from black and red to vibrant shades of green, blue, yellow and red. Its name is derived from its distinctive yellow marking on its tail, which resembles the light of a stoplight. While these fish can be either male or female in their initial phase, the green, fully matured Stoplight Parrotfish are all males. Both pictures were taken in Honduras, with the above picture being an initial phase (juvenile/female) specimen and the below picture being a terminal phase (matured) specimen.
