Ringtail surgeonfish (Acanthurus blochii)

Scientific name: Acanthurus blochii Valenciennes, 1835

Ringtail surgeonfish (Acanthurus blochii)

The Ringtail surgeonfish (Acanthurus blochii) is a marine fish of the family Acanthuridae. Native range: Indo-Pacific, East Africa, including the Mascarene Islands to the Hawaiian and Society islands, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to Lord Howe Island.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 25-27; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 24 - 25. Color in life bluish grey with numerous yellowish brown spots which tend to form irregular longitudinal lines; head with narrow irregular stripes; behind eye a yellow spot; brown pectoral fins; base of caudal fin with white bar. Caudal spine large, 3 - 4.4 in head. Stomach gizzard-like. Differs from A. dussumieri by having vertical stripes instead of spots on the blue central area of the caudal fin, from A. mata by having a lunate caudal fin, and from A. xanthopterus by having plain brown to blue-grey pectoral fins. The white ring around the base of the tail varies in intensity and may occasionally be absent.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Acanthurus blochii
Family
Acanthuridae (Surgeonfishes, tangs, unicornfishes)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
45.0
Depth range
1–12 m (3–39 ft)
Environment
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 12 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Indo-Pacific: East Africa, including the Mascarene Islands to the Hawaiian and Society islands, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to Lord Howe Island.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Tmax=35; K=0.25)

More tangs & surgeonfish

See all tangs & surgeonfish

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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