Paracanthurus hepatus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Palette surgeonfish, 31cm

The striking blue Paracanthurus hepatus is rare at Kwajalein. We have seen them, usually more than one at a time, in scattered locations including around a small lagoon reef near the north end of Bigej Island, on the reef north of Eniwetak Island, and on the seaward reef of Kwajalein near the golf course. At most of these sites, the fish have persisted only for a while. The longest residing individuals we have seen were on the top of the seaward reef roughly midway between SAR Pass and Ennubuj (Carlson) Island, usually 10 to 20m back from the knee of the drop. You can spot them from a distance hovering several meters above the reef, where they feed on plankton. They tend to drop down to the reef and hide in large colonies of the branch coral Pocillopora eydouxi when approached.

Created 8 July 2017

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