Acanthurus pyroferus
Mimic surgeonfish | Chocolate Surgeonfish | Orange-gilled Surgeonfish | Pacific Mimic Surgeon | Yellowspot Surgeonfish
Acanthurus pyroferus, Bali, Indonesia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Acanthurus pyroferus, juvenile, Coral Sea, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Acanthurus pyroferus, juvenile, QLD, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Acanthurus pyroferus, juvenile, Moorea, French Polynesia, Photo: Graham Edgar
Acanthurus pyroferus, Bali, Indonesia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Similar Species
Same Genus
Distribution
Temperate Australasia, Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Pale face with dark blotch over eye and dark operculum, brown body, orange patch above pectoral fin, lunate tail with orange outer margin. Juveniles mimic Centropyge angelfishes such as Centrypyge vroliki (Pearlscale Angelfish), and Centropyge heraldi (Yellow Angelfish). Very similar Acanthurus tristis (Indian Ocean Mimic Surgeonfish), differs by location, being only found in the western Indian Ocean.
Information
Max Size: 25 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 23.1-31.4°C
Depth: 4-60m
Habitat Generalization Index: 17.69
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 (26.1% 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: Few (3 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Joe Shields