Like toucans and macaws, this fish has become a quintessential symbol of the Tropics, appearing as all sorts of kitschy souvenirs and “decorations”. It is often seen on postcards from Florida (where it is not found!). It is also familiar as “Gill”, in the Disney / Pixar movie, “Finding Nemo”. Because its tiny larvae travel well in plankton, it is found all the way from the East Africa, clear across the Indian Ocean and Pacific, to the west coast of Mexico, south to Peru. It is closely related to tangs and surgeonfish, but lacks their “scalpel”.