Chlorurus gibbus (Rüppell, 1829)

Scarus gibbus Rüppell, 1829: 81; lectotype: SMF 2686; type locality: Mohila [= Al-Muwaylih], Saudi Arabia.

Steephead Parrotfish

Tentative records of Chlorurus gibbus exist from earlier surveys (Zajonz et al. 2000; Zajonz & Khalaf 2002; Zajonz et al. 2019), pending further confirmation (compare the remarks on C. strongylocephalus). The species may represent a stray, i.e. an ‘occasional’ species sensu Magurran et al. (2011). The species has also been observed from the Hadramaut and Shabwah coasts of mainland Yemen (Zajonz pers. observation; Aideed pers. observation).

Distribution: Restricted to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (Golani & Fricke 2018), with tentative visual records from the Socotra Archipelago.