Habitat. Marine, postlarvae, and juveniles inhabit coastal habitats such as lower parts of rivers, lagoons, intertidal pools, and other coastal habitats. Inhabits soft bottoms with sand, silt, or organic material. Euryhaline, with a salinity tolerance of 0 – 39 ‰, usually found at depths down to 20 m but recorded down to 350 m. Catadromous, spawns at sea, juveniles migrate to coast or freshwater areas. Biology. Protogynous, all juveniles are female, and sex reversal to male begins in many individuals when larger than 90 mm SL. Lives up to 10 years. Matures at about 120 mm SL. Fractional spawner, usually spawns throughout year. Eggs semipelagic. Larval stage about 25 days (Socotra). Postlarvae and juveniles enter brackish and freshwater habitats and may remain for two years, almost to maturity. Adults only in sea. Juveniles usually live in schools, adults in loose groups or solitary. Juveniles feed mainly on invertebrates. Adults take invertebrates and small fish but feed mainly on scales removed from live fish. So far, only species known to be a specialised scale-eater in marine environments. Scales are only removed from live fish larger than predators, and slow-swimming species are preferred. Always attacks lateral surface of prey species, and scales are mainly removed from posterior region of body, particularly around caudal peduncle. A variety of species are attacked. Black longitudinal stripes fade during feeding but darken in presence of conspecifics, perhaps to prevent autopredation.
Sumber: Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia