Spotted-face Surgeonfish, Acanthurus maculiceps (Ahl 1923)
Other Names: Earbar Surgeonfish, Spot-face Surgeon, White-freckled Surgeonfish
A Spotted-face Surgeonfish, Acanthurus maculiceps, in the Solomon Islands. Source: John E. Randall / Fishbase. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2026, Acanthurus maculiceps in Fishes of Australia, accessed 08 Jun 2026, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2187
Spotted-face Surgeonfish, Acanthurus maculiceps (Ahl 1923)
More Info
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Distribution |
Northern Great Barrier Reef and reefs in the Coral Sea; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. Elsewhere the species occurs in the Indo-west-central Pacific: Maldives east to the Marshall Islands and Line Islands (Kiribati), north to southern Japan, south to Australia, the Solomon Islands and Samoa; waifs reaching Hawaiian Islands. Inhabits outer reef areas to at least 30 m, either solitary or in small groups. |
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Feeding |
A grazer/detritivore. |
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Fisheries |
Taken as part of multi-species surgeonfish fisheries throughout its range; rarely collected for the aquarium industry. |
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Species Citation |
Hepatus maculiceps Ahl 1923, Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin 11: 36, Fig. 4. Type locality: Talassia, New Pomerania [Kikiwiei/Comet Harbour, New Britain, Papua New Guinea, Bismarck Sea, western Pacific, ca. 5°32'S, 149°43'E. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2026 |
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Resources |
Spotted-face Surgeonfish, Acanthurus maculiceps (Ahl 1923)
References
Abesamis, R., Clements, K.D., McIlwain, J., Choat, J.H., Myers, R., Nanola, C., Rocha, L.A., Russell, B. & Stockwell, B. 2012. Acanthurus maculiceps. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: e.T177957A1502445. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012.RLTS.T177957A1502445.en. Accessed on 18 February 2026.
Ahl, E. 1923. Ichthyologische Mitteilungen 3. Ueber eine neue Art der Gattung Hepatus. Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin 11: 36-37
Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp.
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.
Allen, G.R. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1994. Fishes of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 412: 1-21
Allen, G.R. & Steene, R.C. 1988. Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 197 pp.
Clements, K.D. & Randall, J.E. 1996. Four new records of surgeonfishes (Perciformes: Acanthuridae) from the Great Barrier Reef. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 39(2): 339-342
de Beaufort, L.F. & Chapman, W.M. 1951. The Fishes of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Percomorphi (concluded), Blennoidea. Leiden : Brill Vol. 9 484 pp. 89 figs.
Kuiter, R.H. 1992. Tropical Reef-Fishes of the Western Pacific, Indonesia and Adjacent Waters. Jakarta : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama 314 pp. pls.
Kuiter, R.H. & Debelius, H. 2001. Surgeonfishes, Rabbitfishes and Their Relatives. A comprehensive guide to Acanthuroidei. Chorleywood, U.K. : TMC Publishing 208 pp.
Oxley, W.G., Ayling, A.M., Cheal, A.J. & Thompson, A.A. 2003. Marine surveys undertaken in the Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve, March-April 2003. Townsville : Australian Institute of Marine Science 59 pp.
Oxley, W.G., Emslie, M., Muir, P. & Thompson, A.A. 2004. Marine surveys undertaken in the Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve, March 2004. Townsville : Australian Institute of Marine Science i-vii, 1-67 pp.
Randall, J.E. 1956. A revision of the surgeon fish genus Acanthurus. Pacific Science 10(2): 159-235 figs 1-23 pls 1-3
Randall, J.E. 2001. Surgeonfishes of Hawai'i and the World. Honolulu : Mutual Publishing and Bishop Museum Press 125 pp.
Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.
