These are primarily herbivorous fishes.  They live in large groups in the open water over reefs where they feed in plankton and algae.  They are medium-sized, silvery fishes.

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Kyphosus vaigiensis, Brassy Chub

    • Max length 70 cm, common length 50 cm
    • Gray with dusky dorsal and caudal fins
    • Darker gray to yellowish lines along scale rows
    • Aggregate over hard, algal-coated bottoms of exposed surf-swept outer reef flats, lagoons, and seaward reefs to a depth of at least 24 m
    • Young (up to 5 cm) found among seaweed
    • Adults are carnivorous during summer and autumn but herbivorous during winter
    • Low resilience, minimum population doubling time 4.5 – 14 years. High vulnerability