dusky parrotfish
Scarus niger Forsskål, 1775
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Scarus niger, common names the swarthy parrotfish, dusky parrotfish, and black parrotfish, is a species of parrotfish. It is found in Indo-West and Central Pacific, from the Red Sea, north to Japan,parts of Southeast Asia, south to Australia and east to French Polynesia. It is found in lagoons, channels and outer reefs slopes on the depths of 2 to 20 metres (6 ft 7 in to 65 ft 7 in).
Wikipedia contributors, Scarus niger; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:59:58.986330+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Scarus niger Forsskål, 1775
- Name authority
- Forsskål, 1775
- Common name
- dusky parrotfish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Family
- Labridae
- Genus
- Scarus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- familyLabridae Cuvier, 1816
- subfamilyScarinae Rafinesque, 1810
- tribeScarini Rafinesque, 1810
- genusScarus Forsskål, 1775
- speciesScarus niger Forsskål, 1775
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Scarus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Scarus arabicus (Steindachner, 1902) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Scarus chameleon Choat & Randall, 1986 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Scarus chinensis (Steindachner, 1867) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Scarus dubius Bennett, 1828 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| festive parrotfishScarus festivus Valenciennes, 1840 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Scarus flavipectoralis Schultz, 1958 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| bridled parrotfishScarus frenatus Lacepède, 1802 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Scarus fuscocaudalis Randall & Myers, 2000 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| purple-brown parrotfishScarus fuscopurpureus (Klunzinger, 1871) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| globehead parrotfishScarus globiceps Valenciennes, 1840 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Scarus gracilis (Steindachner, 1869) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Scarus hypselopterus Bleeker, 1853 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Scarus nigar Forsskål, 1775 Forsskål, 1775 | synonym |
| Scarus limbatus Valenciennes, 1840 Valenciennes, 1840 | synonym |
| Pseudoscarus flavomarginatus Kner, 1865 Kner, 1865 | synonym |
| Callyodon madagascariensis (Steindachner, 1887) (Steindachner, 1887) | synonym |
| Callyodon nuchipunctatus (Valenciennes, 1840) (Valenciennes, 1840) | synonym |
| Scarus chadri Lacepède, 1802 Lacepède, 1802 | synonym |
| Scarus lineolabiatus (Fowler & Bean, 1928) (Fowler & Bean, 1928) | synonym |
| Scarus makaravar Montrouzier, 1857 Montrouzier, 1857 | synonym |
| Scarus nuchipunctatus Valenciennes, 1840 Valenciennes, 1840 | synonym |
| Pseudoscarus niger viridis Klunzinger, 1871 Klunzinger, 1871 | synonym |
| Pseudoscarus godeffroyi Günther, 1909 Günther, 1909 | synonym |
| Pseudoscarus madagascariensis Steindachner, 1887 Steindachner, 1887 | synonym |
| Callyodon lineolabiatus Fowler & Bean, 1928 Fowler & Bean, 1928 | synonym |
| Callyodon maoricus Jordan & Seale, 1906 Jordan & Seale, 1906 | synonym |
| Callyodon niger (Forsskål, 1775) (Forsskål, 1775) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Forskål P. (1775). Descriptiones Animalium, Avium, Amphibiorum, Piscium, Insectorum, Vermium; quae in Itinere Orientali Observavit Petrus Forskål. Post Mortem Auctoris editit Carsten Niebuhr. Adjuncta est materia Medica Kahirina. Mölleri, Hafniae, 19 + xxxiv + 164 pp. Post Mortem Auctoris Edidit Carsten Niebuhr. Hauniae., Moller, Copenhagen, xxxiv + 140 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.2154 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4V3LK. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.