Grazers that keep algae off the reef, named for the hinged blade at the base of the tail. It folds into a groove and is used sideways with a flick of the body, against other fish rather than against divers.
Many feed in roving shoals, and the reason is territory. A single surgeonfish cannot get into a damselfish's algal patch; forty of them can, because the damselfish cannot drive off all of them. A shoal crossing a reef at speed is usually doing exactly that.
The unicornfish carry a horn or a bump that grows with the fish and is present only in some species. Several also change colour within seconds, and a fish at a cleaning station often shows a paler pattern than the same fish a minute later.
The blade is sharp enough to cut, and a caught or handled surgeonfish will use it. In the water it is not a hazard.
Every one has a page. They are shown as a list rather than as pictures because nothing has been photographed or logged for them yet, and a species with nothing behind it should not sit in front of one that has.
How many of the 26 carry a record at each destination. A species usually carries several, so these do not add up to 26.
All 1316 species in one index, with filters for destination, rarity and hazard.