Zebra Perch
Kyphosus azureus

Physical Description

• Fish with oval-shaped body..
• Gray, silver, greenish coloration on back, whitish coloration below.
• Dark vertical stripes (usually 10) on sides, where common name comes from.
• Their body is covered in small scales, but their head has no scales.
• They have one bright blue spot on gill cover.
• Juveniles have less distinct bars than adults.

Range

• Klamath River Estuary, Oregon to Baja California, Mexico.
• Gulf of California, Mexico.
• Rare north of southern California.

Habitat

• Live in shallow inshore areas.
• Live in coastal rocky reefs and reef flats with algae growth.
• Can be found from 0 to 26 feet depth.

Reproduction

• They reproduce by broadcast spawning.
• Their larvae live in the plankton.

Diet

• Exclusively herbivorous diets.
• Algae, red algae most common food.

Predators

• Known to be poor eating and rarely found in predatory fish stomachs.

Interesting Facts

• Though referred to as a zebra perch, they are actually a member of the sea chub family of fish.
• They are not to be confused with a “true” perch called the zebra perch that is a freshwater fish.
• They are often found in small schools, mixed with opaleye and halfmoon.

Sources: Fishbase; Project Noah; KenJonesFishing.com; wetwebmedia.com; BioGeoDatabase

Photo: Weiwei Gao