Key Identification Features
- Chlorurus japanensis (Bloch, 1789) can be distinguished by its fin ray and spine counts: a total of nine dorsal spines, three dorsal soft rays, three anal spines, and nine anal soft rays.
- Additional distinguishing features include four median predorsal scales, two scale rows on the cheek, and an absence of conical teeth on the side of the lower dental plate.
- Males are distinctly bicolored, with a purple-brown anterior body and an oblique division separating this section from the pale yellow posterior.
- Chlorurus japanensis is an oviparous species, and typically forms distinct breeding pairs during reproduction.
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