Latin name

Acanthurus gahhm

Other name

Lined surgeonfish

Identification

Acanthurus: Greek, akantha = thorn + Greek, oura = tail.

The body of the black surgeonfish is elongated oval and compressed at the sides. 

Features of fish fins

The dorsal and anal fins are rounded. The ends of the caudal fin are elongated, forming a crescent. The dorsal fin has 9 barb rays and 24-28 soft rays, and the anal fin has 3 barb rays and 23-26 soft rays.

Fish colouring

The coloration of the body is blackish. It is characterized by the presence of 2 longitudinal stripes laterally, one running from the posterior margin of the eye to the back, the other from the groove around the spine of the caudal peduncle to the front. The anterior stripe is absent in juveniles less than 5 cm in length. 

Distribution

Widespread in the western Indian Ocean: endemic in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Habitat

A tropical marine fish. Its depth range is 5-50 meters.

Size

Males of this species are 40 to 50 centimeters long.

Behavior

They live in small or large schools over sandy and rocky bottoms in lagoons and on the outer edges of reefs.

Food and feeding habits

The black surgeonfish feeds on algae, detritus and zooplankton.

Reproduction

Female black surgeonfish release eggs into the water, while males release sperm. The eggs are fertilized and become part of the plankton that drift on ocean currents. 

Fishing

This species is commercially important for fishing. Ловится сетями.

Relationship with a person

Harmless.