Parrotfishes (Teleostei: Labridae: Scarini) of the Socotra Archipelago: Diversity and distributional biogeography, including a range extension of Scarus zufar Randall & Hoover, 1995 Author Zajonz, Uwe Senckenberg Research Institute and Museum of Nature (SMF), Marine Zoology-Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Author Bogorodsky, Sergey V. Senckenberg Research Institute and Museum of Nature (SMF), Marine Zoology-Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. & Station of Naturalists, Omsk, Russia. Author Saeed, Fouad K. N. Senckenberg Research Institute and Museum of Nature (SMF), Marine Zoology-Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. & Environmental Protection Authority, Socotra Branch, Hadibo, Yemen. Author Aideed, Moteah S. Senckenberg Research Institute and Museum of Nature (SMF), Marine Zoology-Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. & Maritime Affairs Authority, Mukalla, Yemen. Author Lavergne, Edouard text Zootaxa 2023 2023-12-20 5389 3 301 330 https://mapress.com/zt/article/download/zootaxa.5389.3.1/52519 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.5389.3.1 1175-5326 10410051 3E7237B4-85C5-4581-B469-ED1C00154413 Scarus zufar Randall & Hoover, 1995 Scarus zufar Randall & Hoover, 1995: 684 ; holotype : BPBM 36056 ; type locality: southern Oman . Dhofar Parrotfish Figure 14 Material examined: Underwater photographs. Distinctive characters: Body depth 2.5–2.7 in SL; dorsal profile of head convex; posterior nostril twice as large as anterior nostril; teeth fully fused to form dental plates, upper dental plate about three-fourths covered by lips; cutting edge of dental plates nearly smooth; no teeth posteriorly on upper dental plate; caudal fin truncate with slightly prolonged lobes in terminal males. Meristic values: Pectoral-fin rays 15; median predorsal scales 4, first largest; cheek with 2 scale rows, lower row with 4 scales. Colouration : Body of initial phase orange anteriorly, scales with green arc, the green becoming progressively broader posteriorly. Terminal males green, the scale edges pink, posterior part of body usually with a greenish or green-yellow area; area beneath pectoral fins and abdomen pinkish or salmon pink; caudal fin with three blue bars. Both phases with pale orange operculum; upper lip, snout and chin green with extended irregular stripe to cheek at lower edge of eye; a short green stripe extending from posterior edge of eye; and pectoral fins orange with yellow axil. FIGURE 14. Scarus zufar . A: initial phase, Eryssel, Socotra Island, 12 m depth; B: terminal male, Ras Bidou, Socotra Island, 14 m depth; C: terminal male, Eryssel, Socotra Island, 12 m depth. Distribution: Restricted to the northern part of the Indian Ocean, previously believed to constitute a “centre of endemism” in southern Oman ( Randall & Hoover 1995 ; Randall 1995). Its range subsequently extended east to Pakistan ( Psomadakis et al . 2015 ) and Bangladesh ( Hasan & Parvej 2020 ), and south-west to the Socotra Archipelago (present study). Remarks: Observed individuals match the description of Scarus zufar provided by Randall & Hoover (1995) ; previously not recorded on Socotra Archipelago ( Zajonz et al . 2019 ). The new record is based on underwater photographs taken in several localities at depths of 7–14 m from the south-western to the eastern part of Socotra Island ; yet abundances were low. Subsequently, the species was observed in a mixed rocky and coral habitat with wave action at Abd al-Kuri Island , thus marking its westernmost range edge. It is unique in contrast to other species in that its initial phase and terminal males exhibit minor sexual dimorphism.