Ecology Summary - Kyphosus sectatrix

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Main Ref.	Fischer, W., M.-L. Bauchot and M. Schneider (eds.), 1987
Remarks	Inhabits shallow waters, over turtle grass, sand or rocky bottom and around coral reefs (Ref. 3725). Young commonly found among floating Sargassum seaweeds (Ref. 3725). Feeds on plants, mainly on benthic algae, as well as on small crabs and mollusks (Ref. 6547). Also 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 (Ref. 48727). Browser fish that bite off pieces of plants that project above the substrate (Ref. 40396). Feeds more on benthic algae but may occasionally graze on seagrasses on the bottom (Ref. 35209). Herbivore (Ref. 33499, 57616).

Main Ref.

Fischer, W., M.-L. Bauchot and M. Schneider (eds.), 1987

Remarks

Inhabits shallow waters, over turtle grass, sand or rocky bottom and around coral reefs (Ref. 3725). Young commonly found among floating Sargassum seaweeds (Ref. 3725). Feeds on plants, mainly on benthic algae, as well as on small crabs and mollusks (Ref. 6547). Also 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 (Ref. 48727). Browser fish that bite off pieces of plants that project above the substrate (Ref. 40396). Feeds more on benthic algae but may occasionally graze on seagrasses on the bottom (Ref. 35209). Herbivore (Ref. 33499, 57616).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Kyphosus sectatrix may be found.

Habitat

Substrate	: sand;: rocky;
Substrate Ref.
Special habitats	Beds: algae/seaweed; sea grass; Coral Reefs;
Special habitats Ref.

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with	Cleaned by goby (Gobiosoma evelynae and others) as observed on the coral reefs in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles (Ref. 36810).
Association remarks
Parasitism

Feeding

Feeding type	mainly plants/detritus (troph. 2-2.19)
Feeding type Ref.	Randall, J.E., 1967
Feeding habit	grazing on aquatic plants
Feeding habit Ref.	Randall, J.E., 1967

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	Original sample		Unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition	2.00	0.00	2.00	0.00	Troph of juv./adults from 1 study.
From individual food items	2.27	0.17			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.	Randall, J.E., 1967

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