Acanthurus leucosternon

Powderblue surgeonfish | Blue Surgeonfish | Powder Blue Tang
Acanthurus leucosternon
Acanthurus leucosternon, Maldives, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Acanthurus leucosternon
Acanthurus leucosternon, Aceh, Indonesia, Photo: Ian Shaw
1 / 2
Acanthurus leucosternon
Acanthurus leucosternon

Distribution

Tropical Indo-Pacific


Description

Distinctive powder blue body, black face, white chest, yellow dorsal fin and tail base, white pelvic and anal fins, and black-edged pale tail fin. In Australian waters, only recorded at Christmas Island.


Information

Max Size: 54 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 25.4-31.5°C

Depth: 0-25m

Habitat Generalization Index: 12.09

Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.


Conservation and Rarity

IUCN Status: Least Concern

Occurrence: Common (27.6% of sites)

Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed

Abundance: Several (6 per transect)

Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.


Edit by: Joe Shields