The parrotfish C. japonicus, which belongs to the family Scaridae, is one of the
few temperate species within this family (Shimada, 2000). The species is a
prominent member of the reef fish communities from central Honshu to Kyushu,
Japan (Kusen and Nakazono, 1991), and is an important target species for fisheries,
particularly in the southern part of Japan. Calotomus japonicus is consequently both
an ecologically and economically important fish species in the coastal areas of
southern Japan.