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Dark Surgeon
Acanthurus blochii Valenciennes, 1835
A Dark Surgeon at a depth of 15m, the Cod Hole, Great Barrier Reef off Lizard Island, Queensland, June 2002. View larger image.
The Dark Surgeon is blue-grey with a yellow spot behind the eye and a white bar at the base of the caudal fin. It has a dark region around the caudal peduncle spine and dark blue to black median fins (glossary).
Underwater this fish may appear black with a lighter bar across the caudal peduncle.
The Dark Surgeon grows to 45cm in length.
It occurs in tropical marine waters of the Indo-Pacific.
In Australia it is known from the offshore reefs of north-western Western Australia and from the northern Great Barrier Reef to southern New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H & H. Debelius. 2001. Surgeonfishes, Rabbitfishes and their relatives. A Comprehensive Guide to Acanthuroidei. TMC Publishing. Pp. 208.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
