Surfperches Cichlids and Relatives: Labroidei

Many cichlids hunt other fishes and eat them whole. Some scrape algae from rocks. Some eat animal plankton. One species eats plant plankton. Many cichlids have special teeth for crushing the shells of snails. Surfperches eat crustaceans, mollusks, and worms. Damselfishes, parrotfishes, and rock whitings eat plants and animals. Some wrasses eat hard-shelled invertebrates, or animals without a backbone. Others eat plankton. Cleaner wrasses eat parasites and waste they find on other fishes. Crustaceans (krus-TAY-shuns) are water-dwelling animals that have jointed legs and a hard shell but no backbone. Mollusks (MAH-lusks) are animals with a soft, unsegmented body that may or may not have a shell. Algae (AL-jee) are plantlike growths that live in water and have no true roots, stems, or leaves. Parasites (PAIR-uh-sites) are animals or plants that live on other animals or plants without helping them and often harming them.