Sohal Surgeonfish

The Sohal surgeonfish is a bold, striped reef fish that patrols the surf-battered edges of Red Sea reefs like it owns them - and in its own territory, it does. It grows to about 40 cm and rarely backs down from a fight over its patch of algae.

Also known as: red sea clown surgeon, red sea surgeonfish, sohal tang

Several striped surgeonfish share Red Sea reefs. Check for the orange patch below the pectoral fin paired with an orange tail-spine base - no other local species shows both together.

Its body is deep and oval, marked with fine black stripes running lengthwise and separated by olive-green bands. The stripes are thin and wavy on the upper body but turn broader and straighter lower down. A bright orange patch sits on the flank just below the pectoral fin, and the base of the tail spine glows orange too. The dorsal, anal and pelvic fins are black with a vivid blue edge, and the tail fin is crescent-shaped.

This species lives only in the northwestern Indian Ocean, from the Red Sea east along the Arabian Peninsula to the Persian Gulf. It favours the outer edges of fringing reefs, right where waves and surge hit hardest, usually down to about 20 m.

Sohal surgeonfish live alone or in small groups and defend their territory fiercely against other fish. They graze algae off hard reef surfaces, mainly Sargassum and fine green filamentous algae. A territory holder often stays out on patrol at its borders rather than resting inside its patch, and will still team up with rivals to raid another fish's territory for food.

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  Atlantic Blue Tang

  Acanthurus coeruleus

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  Brown surgeonfish

  Acanthurus nigrofuscus

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  Caribbean Ocean Surgeonfish

  Acanthurus tractus

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  Chocolate surgeonfish

  Acanthurus pyroferus

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  Convict Surgeonfish

  Acanthurus triostegus

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  Doctorfish

  Acanthurus chirurgus