The 54 species of sea chubs have short heads, blunt snouts, and small mouths. They have strong, close-set teeth which are strangely shaped like hockey sticks, with two species often spotted on Koh Lanta dive trips.
There is a single, continuous dorsal fin which can be folded into a scaly groove. They have a forked tail and are usually a drab colour and may have some bluish or yellowish stripes.
Sea chubs are largely herbivorous, feeding mainly on algae, with others being carnivorous, feeding on invertebrates found on the seafloor, rocks and corals.
Very large schools can form in shallow rocky and coral reef areas for feeding, and we sometimes see this around the Koh Haa islands.
Members of this family sometimes gather in large numbers for pelagic spawning.
2 species found on this page.
