The common name, stoplight, comes from the marked yellow spot near the pectoral fin, which is clearly visible only in specimens in the terminal phase.

During the terminal phase, the parrotfishes are a vivid green color with yellow spots on the tail base of their caudal fin.

[7] The stoplight parrotfish inhabit shallow coral reefs not disturbed by humans in Florida, the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda and Brazil.

[6] In the Florida Keys, the stoplight parrotfish were found most frequently in areas with high cover of the macroalgae Dictyota.

[6] The stoplight parrotfish employs a scraping and excavating grazing mode and feeds almost exclusively on algae that are associated with dead coral substrates.

[6] Their preferred food types are large, sparse turfs growing on carbonate substrates that are inhibited by endolithic algae.

In healthy coral reef environments, the detriment of coral-feeding by parrotfish tends to be offset by the benefits of their algal feeding.

[4] Their foraging strategy is called “search and nip” and they spend short bouts of energy on swimming, feeding, and hovering.

[7] The stoplight parrotfish grow continuously throughout life[4] and their growth rate increases with higher food availability.