The Bumphead Parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) is an iconic coral reef species found in the tropical waters of the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is the largest, most long-lived of all the parrotfishes. This series of illustrations was created to 1) provide multi-purpose illustrations of five different life stages of Bumphead Parrotfish, and 2) show how this species migrates from sheltered, nearshore reef nursery grounds to deeper offshore reefs.
Bumphead Parrotfish is currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Researchers from the Nature Conservancy found that near-shore logging can significantly reduce populations of juvenile Bumphead Parrotfish by directly destroying sheltering mangroves and releasing plumes of sediment which smother corals in nearshore nursery habitats. Suspended sediment may also act to impair the development of larvae and juvenile fish.
These illustrations were published in peer-reviewed scientific literature, presented at scientific conferences and stakeholder meetings, and licensed to the S.E.A Aquarium in Singapore for their reef fishes exhibit.
Publications:
Hamilton, R.J., Lozano‐Cortés, D., Bode, M., Almany, G.R., Harrison, H.B., Pita, J., Saenz‐Agudelo, P., Gereniu, C., Waldie, P.A., Peterson, N. and Choat, J.H. (2021) Larval dispersal and fishing pressure influence recruitment in a coral reef fishery. Journal of Applied Ecology. 58 (12), 2924-2935.
Hamilton, R.J., Almany, G.R., Brown, C.J., Pita, J., Peterson, N.A., & Choat, J.H. (2017) Logging degrades nursery habitat for an iconic coral reef fish. Biological Conservation, 210, 273–280.
Blog Posts:
Hauscheer, J.E. (2021) For Parrotfish, One Protected Area Isn’t Enough. Cool Green Science
Hauscheer, J.E. (2017) Logging Threatens Reef Fish Nurseries in the Solomon Islands. Cool Green Science