User:Kneeeco/Kyphosus cinerascens

Description
An adult topsail sea chub is known to grow up to 45 cm long, this species of sea chub is known to have blue/grey, brown or black coloring to them. They are known to be a pale fish with dark lines that separate the rows of scales that cover the fish.

Distribution & Habitat
The species of sea chub is normally seen around the Indo-central Pacific and Atlantic Ocean; along several locations near the Greater Caribbean; and some areas in Brazil. The sea chub is regularly found taking residence in areas of aggregations over hard, algal coated bottoms of exposed, surf-swept outer reef flats, lagoon and seaward reefs. They are commonly seen occupying depths of 24 - 45m near these rocky areas. Their habitats are usually seen within certain climate zones, which is the Equatorial, Tropical, and Subtropical areas.

Diet
The sea chub’s diet consists of phaeophytes, chlorophytes, rhodophytes, and almost no animal material.

Behavior
Sea chubs are typically more active during the day where they can be found swimming in schools of 10 or more along the reefs they call home, although at night only lone individuals can be found swimming around the sea floor. With the power of number the sea chub has during the day, they are usually found feeding on algae found on rocks and even free-floating algae particles. Meanwhile their nocturnal habits and behaviors are still unknown apart from the often times they are spotted.

Cultural Significance
There are five known species of Kyphosus found in Hawai'i, with four being from the drab genus Kyphosus and the other being the Sectator ocyurus. However due to the species of Kyphosus choosing algae as their main source of food, the State of Hawai'i was advised to put this fish species under protective care to help restore the control of nearby algae.