| Remarks |
Inhabits inshore and offshore coral or rocky reefs (Ref. 7247). Juveniles are common in tide pools while adults found over shallow reef tops. Adults frequently form large feeding aggregations of up to several hundred individuals. It feeds primarily as a browsing herbivore (Ref. 275). Food items include algae, small crustaceans and fish, and various invertebrate larvae (Ref. 3139). Feeds on spinner dolphins’ feces and vomits at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, southeast Atlantic. The offal feeding may be regarded as a simple behavioral shift from plankton feeding to drifting offal picking. Also, juveniles hold cleaning stations together with the doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus) and the blue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus) and graze algae as well as pick molted skin and parasites from green turtles (Chelonia mydas ). This behavior is preceded by a characteristic inspection usually followed by feeding nips on the turtles’ skin (head, limbs, and tail), as well as on the carapace. The most inspected and cleaned body parts are the flippers (Ref. 48727, 51385). |