Atlantic Blue Tang
Acanthurus coeruleus
Yellowfin surgeonfish
Acanthurus xanthopterus
About
The yellowfin surgeonfish is a wide-ranging Indo-Pacific reef fish that grows to about 70 cm, though most adults are closer to 50 cm. It is one of the few surgeonfish that will readily take a fisher's bait, a habit that sets it apart from its relatives.
Also known as: yellowfin surgeonfish, surgeonfish, ringtailed surgeonfish, yellowfin sturgeonfish, purple surgeonfish, yellow-mask surgeon, yellowfin surgeon, ringtail surgeonfish, ring-tailed surgeonfish, yellowfin surgeonfish, yellow-masked surgeon, ring-tailed surgeonfish, yellowmask surgeonfish, yellow-mask surgeon
- Length
- 50 cm · max 70 cm
- Depth
- 5–90 m
- Temperature
- 24–28 °C
How to tell it apart
Many surgeonfish share a similar grey body. Look for the small patch of dull yellow just in front of the eye as the clearest field mark on this species.
Appearance
The body is purplish-grey, with a patch of dull yellow in front of the eye. The outer third of the pectoral fin is yellow, fading to clear at the very tip. The dorsal and anal fins are yellowish-grey near the base and dull yellow along the edge. The tail fin is purplish, with a small spine at its base.
Habitat
It lives across a wide Indo-Pacific range, from East Africa to Hawaii and French Polynesia, in water between about 24 and 28 degrees C. It favours coral reefs, sand slopes and lagoons, and is recorded from 1 to 100 m, though it is most often seen between about 5 and 90 m. Young fish stay in shallow, murky water close to shore, while adults move into deeper bays and lagoons.
Did you know?
It is probably the only surgeonfish that will readily take a fisher's bait.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
