Bumphead Parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) observations at Ningaloo Reef, Australia (2008-2021)

Bolbometopon muricatum (bumphead parrotfish, Valenciennes, 1839) is a conspicuous, iconic and ecologically important coral reef fish species. B. muricatum plays an important role in the bioerosion of the reef framework and as a result has been described as both an ecosystem engineer and keystone species. Despite the complete absence of B. muricatum from 32 years of scientific surveys across the Ningaloo ReefWorld Heritage Area, the authors recorded a total of 155 individuals of B. muricatum across 63.2 ha of reef crest surveys, equating to mean density of 2.38 ind/ha