Acanthurus chirurgus

Acanthuridae
Doctorfish, Doctorfish, Black Doctorfish
  • Acanthurus chirurgus, Florida Keys, USA, Photo: Graham Edgar
    Acanthurus chirurgus, Florida Keys, USA, Photo: Graham Edgar
  • Acanthurus chirurgus, Bocas del Toro, Panama, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Acanthurus chirurgus, Bocas del Toro, Panama, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
  • Acanthurus chirurgus, Bonaire, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Acanthurus chirurgus, Bonaire, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
  • Acanthurus chirurgus, Florida Keys, USA, Photo: Graham Edgar
    Acanthurus chirurgus, Florida Keys, USA, Photo: Graham Edgar
  • Acanthurus chirurgus, Abrolhos, Bahia, Brazil, Photo: Graham Edgar
    Acanthurus chirurgus, Abrolhos, Bahia, Brazil, Photo: Graham Edgar
Distribution
Tropical Atlantic/Caribbean
Description
Olive-brown with about ten evenly spaced dark bands on side, may display a white band on tail base, tail spine bordered in iridescent blue, dorsal and anal fins with blue margins and tail fin blue. Juveniles use mangroves and seagrass beds as nurseries.
Information
  • Max Size: 39 cm
  • Sea Temperature Range: 21.6-31.1°C
  • Depth: 2-25m
  • Habitat: Coral Reef, Mangrove, Rocky Reef, Seagrass
  • Habitat Generalisation Index: 11.9
    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
Rarity
  • Threats: Exploitation
  • IUCN Threat Status: Least Concern
  • Occurrence: Frequent (19% 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
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