Razor Surgeonfish, Razor Sawtail
Cochinito Barbero
(Prionurus laticlavius)

Razor Surgeonfish, Prionurus laticlavius: The Razor Surgeonfish has an overall gray appearance with a few small, black spots at the tail base. It has a bright yellow tail, a dark bar running horizontally through the eye, and another through the shoulder.

The Razor Surgeonfish has three pairs of white, bony, scalpel-like plates along the sides of the tail base. It reaches 23 inches in length and up to 5 pounds, but is rare and exceedingly difficult to catch as it is primarily a finicky nibbler.

When hooked the Razor Surgeonfish makes a fierce foe, especially on light tackle. It is a schooling fish found adjacent to rocky reefs at depths up to 100 feet in the water column.

The Razor Surgeonfish is quite similar to the Yellowtail Surgeonfish, Prionurus punctatus (entire body being covered with dense small black spots).

Distribution in Mexico fishing areas

The Razor Surgeonfish has a limited distribution in Mexico, being found only between Loreto and Cabo San Lucas in the Sea of Cortez.

The Razor Surgeonfish is a member of the Acanthuridae Family, which includes sawtails, sugeonfishes, tangs, and unicorns, which are known in Mexican fishing areas as cirujanos. They are reef fish with oval, compressed bodies and disproportionately small mouths. They are easily recognized by the presence of three to six pairs of bony plates with cutting keels (which are truly lethal) along the middle of the tail base. The spines provide these fish with a unique defense mechanism rendering them exceedingly “dangerous” to handle as the spine can inflict major slashing wounds. These fish each have eight or nine dorsal fin spines. They are primarily herbivorous fish grazing on algae found on rocks. Globally, there are six species of the Prionurus Genus, with two found in Mexican fishing waters.

Razor Surgeonfish Fish picture

Razor Surgeonfish, Prionurus laticlavius: Donated to Mexfish.com during fishing by the Mexican commercial panguero fishermen of Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico, June 2007. Size 13 inches. Note: this fish is a very difficult species to photograph as its coloration fades very quickly from a dark gray to a pale tan. Description and photo courtesy of John Snow.

Razor Surgeonfish picture

Razor Surgeonfish, Prionurus laticlavius: Collected from a tidal pool mid-day in December 2010, Km. 17, El Tule, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Size approximately 4 cm. One of perhaps 1,000 on the reef on the day of collection. Photo courtesy of John Snow.

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