Chocolate Surgeonfish
Acanthurus pyroferus Kittlitz, 1834
Also calledBotana Model (msa) · Chirurgien Rose (fra) · Chirurgien de feu, Chirurgien rose (fra) · Chirurgien porteur de feu (fra) · Cirurgião-mimico-do-Pacífico (por) · Csokoládé doktorhal (hun) · Dabahita (tgl) · Kuroguchiniza (jpn) · Labahita (tgl) · Maito uteute (tah) · Pazifischer Mimikry-Doktorfisch (deu) · Peix cirurgià imitador del Pacífic (cat) · Pesce chirurgo cioccolata del Pacifico (ita) · Pesce chirurgo imitatore del Pacifico (ita)
First described in: Kittlitz, F. H. (1834). Beschreibung mehrerer neuer oder wenig gekannter Arten des Geschlechtes Acanthurus, im stillen Ocean, beobachtet und nach dem Leben abgebildet. <em>Museum Senckenbergianum: Abhandlungen aus dem Gebiete der beschreibenden Naturgeschichte, von Mitgliedern der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Frankfurt am Main.</em> v. 1: 189-196, Pls. 12-13.
Acanthurus pyroferus, also known as the chocolate surgeonfish, mimic surgeonfish, orange-gilled surgeonfish, Pacific mimic surgeon, and yellowspot surgeon, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, which includes the sugeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. This species is found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Descriptions from checklists and floras indexed by GBIF
distribution
Distribution and habitat. New Ireland: 1, 2. — General distribution: Cocos-Keeling and Christmas islands (eastern Indian Ocean) and Indonesia east to Marquesas and Tuamotu islands, north to southern Japan and Ogasawara Islands, south to northern Australia and New Caledonia. Found in lagoon and seaward coral reefs, 4 – 60 m depth. Marine.
Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 810 new records
materials_examined
Status at New Ireland. New record, based on specimens photographed on 1 – 2 June 2013 during ACIAR Aquarium Survey in Kavieng District (see Teitelbaum et al. 2013: 15); another photographed at St. KVG 24 (off northwestern Bauddisson Island) by Serge Andréfouët on 22 Aug. 2014 a video of a specimen taken at Kawauiliaka Island, off northeastern New Hanover, at 3 – 12 m depth, St. KR 132, in 2014 (identified by Barry C. Russell).
Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 810 new records
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
Acanthurus pyroferus has its dorsal fin supported by 8 spines and between 27 and 30 soft rays while the anal fin is supported by 3 spines and between 24 and 28 soft rays. The overall colour of this fish's body is yellowish brown with a white band around its mouth. There is a band of dark colour running from the chin to the upper margin of the operculum with a patch of orange coloration around the base of the pectoral fin. The caudal fin has a white posterior margin. The maximum published total length of this species is 29 cm (11 in).
Range & habitat
Acanthurus pyroferus is found in the Indo-Pacific. In the Indian Ocean it is found at the Scott and Ashmore Reef, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands while in the Pacific it extends as far east as French Polynesia and the Line Islands, north to Wakayama Prefecture in Japan and south to New South Wales. It is found at depths between 2 and 60 m (6 ft 7 in and 196 ft 10 in), living solitarily on reefs.
In human culture
Acanthurus pyroferus has the specific name pyroferus, which means "firebearer", this is thought to be a reference to the orange colour (described as saffron by Kittlitz) to the rear of the gill slit and above the pectoral fin.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Acanthurus pyroferus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
From the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence records (GBIF.org), with Wikipedia and the Source Library. GBIF species 5209154.