‹ Fish Finder· #001

Ring-tail Surgeon

Acanthurus auranticavus

Bislamastrongskin— names this kind of animal, not this species alone

Ring-tail Surgeon — photo 1 of 1
Photo 1 of 1 · Emanuele Santarelli · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
uncommonblackwhiteorangeschoolinglargereef
Habitat
Reef
Max size
61 cm
Depth
1-20 m
Family
Acanthuridae

Acanthurus auranticavus, the ringtail surgeonfish or orange-socket surgeonfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. This species is found in the Indo-West Pacific.

Adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Side by side, with what tells them apart.

Ring-tail Surgeon
This oneRing-tail Surgeon
Ringtail Surgeonfish
Look-alikeRingtail Surgeonfish

Near-identical names and looks: both are dark surgeonfish with a white band around the base of the tail. Ring-tail Surgeon is dark brown with a bright orange socket around the tail spine, orange marks in front of and behind the pupil, and an orange-brown flush below the pectoral fin. Ringtail Surgeonfish is blue-grey with a yellow spot behind the eye and a dark blotch, not orange, around the tail spine; its white ring can fade or be missing.

See the Ringtail Surgeonfish →

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