A school of striped grazers can turn a patch of reef into a moving field of black bars.
- Local names
- Manini
- Habitat
- Lagoon and reef
- Other names
- Legacy source name: Acanthurus trigostegus
About this species
A pale yellowish body crossed by narrow black bars makes the convict surgeonfish easy to pick out. Its markings can change in intensity with behaviour. It may reach about 28 cm. Adults feed near reefs inside lagoons; juveniles are often abundant in tide pools.
Schools crop filamentous algae, including growth on rocks near freshwater outlets elsewhere in their range. The fish live close to the bottom but swim in the water just above it.
Convict surgeonfish gather to spawn, releasing eggs and sperm into the water. Eagle rays may feed on these clouds. The transformation from a post-larva to a juvenile occurs at about 3.2 cm in the account cited by the guide.
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?ID=1260&AT=Fiveband+surgeonfish
P. Bacchet, T. Zysman, Y. Lefèvre, 2010. Guide des poissons de Tahiti et ses îles. Au vent des îles. 3e édition.
