Lined Surgeonfish swimming over sea rubble overgrown with algae

Lined Surgeonfish swimming over sea rubble overgrown with algae

Lined Surgeonfish nibbling on the algae growing amongst the rubble of a lagoon seabed. Lined Surgeonfish spend their nights in deep water crevices, emerging during the day to graze on red and green algae. The males are extremely territorial and agressive, avidly guarding their feeding territory from invasion. The name surgeonfish is derived from the extremely sharp scalpel-like spines that all surgeonfish have on either side of their tails. Despite their lethal sounding name however, surgeonfish are grazers, feeding mostly on algae growing on coral reefs.

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Lined Surgeonfish Facts
Other names: Zebra Surgeonfish, Clown Surgeonfish, Blue Banded Surgeonfish, Striped Surgeon, Striped Surgeonfish, Blue-lined Surgeonfish
Scientific name: Acanthurus lineatus
Family: Acanthuridae (Surgeonfishes, tangs, unicornfishes)
Max. size: 38 cm
Depth: 0 - 15 metres
Diet: Filamentous or thallate red and green algae
Habitat: Shallows, exposed seward reefs
Distribution: Indo-Pacific: East Africa, including the Mascarene Islands to the Hawaiian, Marquesan and Tuamoto islands, north to southern Japan, south to the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia.
Conservation: Least Concern