razor surgeonfish
Prionurus laticlavius · Acanthuridae · omnivore
Herbivorous surgeonfish of shallow eastern Pacific waters, which forms large schools over rocks and corals. It is little caught on rod, but it is sold for aquariums and appears in reef catches.
Also called: cirurgião-navalha, cirujano barbero, razor surgeonfish
- maximum
- 60 cm
- depth
- 3–25 m
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
—
hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the razor surgeonfish
who is the razor surgeonfish
Fish of the surgeonfish family (Acanthuridae), with a flattened, disk-shaped body, reaching 60 cm. It lives in shallow waters of the eastern Pacific, from Costa Rica to Colombia, passing through Panama, with records also in Ecuador and Peru, and at the Cocos and Galápagos islands. It is found mostly between 3 and 25 m, in rocky areas. It is herbivorous: it feeds in groups on algae that grow on rocks and corals. It forms large schools. In fishing it appears mainly as reef bycatch, and it is sold for aquariums.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the razor surgeonfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Flattened, disk-shaped body, with small scales, like the other surgeonfish. Instead of a movable spine, the genus Prionurus has fixed, sharp bony plates on the tail stalk. It forms large schools in shallow, rocky waters, which helps identify it when there are many fish together. It lives in a wider depth range, from 3 to 25 m, than the sawtail surgeonfish, which is usually found between 6 and 12 m.
where found
In the eastern Pacific, from Costa Rica to Colombia, passing through Panama, with records also in Ecuador and Peru, including the Cocos and Galápagos islands.
Habitat: Shallow waters, reefs and rocky bottoms, generally from 3 to 25 m.
rules for the razor surgeonfish
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Not venomous, but the sharp bony plates on the tail stalk can cut the hand of anyone handling it. Hold it carefully, away from that area, and release it quickly.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01995, b = 3.01; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
—
sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Prionurus laticlavius (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Prionurus laticlaviusNames by country and language.
similar species
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: