Orangeblotch Surgeonfish, Acanthurus olivaceus Bloch & Schneider 1801

Other Names: Orangeband Surgeonfish, Orangebar Surgeonfish, Orange-blotch Surgeon, Orange-blotch Surgeonfish, Orangespot Surgeon-fish, Orange-spot Surgeonfish, Orange-spot Surgeon-fish

Orangeblotch Surgeonfish, Acanthurus olivaceus, at Stradbroke Island, Queensland, June 2022. Source: John Turnbull / Flickr. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:

A grey to brown surgeonfish with a bright orange blue-edged band behind the eye, and a white margin on the middle caudal-fin rays. The head and anterior half of the body may be abruptly paler than the posterior half. The bright yellow juveniles have a pale blue margin on the anal fin, and the band behind the eye gradually develops with growth.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2022, Acanthurus olivaceus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 20 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1029

Orangeblotch Surgeonfish, Acanthurus olivaceus Bloch & Schneider 1801

More Info

Distribution	Shark Bay to Roebuck Bay, and offshore reefs from Rowley Shoals to the Arafura Sea, Western Australia, Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea, and from the northern Great Barrier Reef and reefs in the Coral Sea, Queensland, to Sydney, New South Wales, with juveniles south to Dalmeny; also Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean, and the Lord Howe Province in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, east-Indo-west-central Pacific.
Features	Dorsal fin IX, 23-25; Anal fin III, 22-24; Gill rakers on first arch (anterior) 24-28, (posterior) 23-27.
Feeding	Feeds on the surface film of detritus, diatoms, and fine filamentous algae covering rocks and corals.
Fisheries	Orangeblotch Surgeonfish are occasionally seen in fish markets in parts of their range, and juveniles are traded in the aquarium industry.
Etymology	The specific name olivaceus is from the Latin oliva (= olive-green) in reference to the dark-olive body colour of this species (as seen by Bloch - species is overall greyish-brown to dark brown).
Species Citation	Acanthurus nigricans olivaceus Bloch & Schneider, 1801, Systema Ichthyologiae: 214. Type locality: Society Island, Tahiti.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2022
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Orangeblotch Surgeonfish, Acanthurus olivaceus Bloch & Schneider 1801

References

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