Acanthurus chirurgus (Bloch, 1787)

Doctorfish

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Perciformes \| Acanthuridae \| Acanthurinae
Synonyms	Chaetodon chirurgus, Acanthurus phlebotomus, ... more
Common names	Black doctorfish, Navajón rayado, Cirujano rayado, ... more

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Image of Acanthurus chirurgus (Doctorfish)

Picture by Nunes, J.L.S.

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AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS

Main reference

Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray. 1986. (Ref. 7251)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator : Randall, John E. | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 39.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 47377); common length : 35.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217); max. published weight: 5,100 g (Ref. 40637)

Environment

Reef-associated; marine; depth range 2 - 25 m (Ref. 7345), usually 2 - 15 m (Ref. 27115)

Climate / Range

Subtropical; 22°C - 25°C (Ref. 27115); 37°N - 7°S, 89°W - 34°W (Ref. 55164)

Western Atlantic: Massachusetts (USA), Bermuda, and the northern Gulf of Mexico to São Paulo, Brazil. Eastern Atlantic: Senegal.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 24 - 25; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 22 - 23. Caudal fin slightly emarginate (Ref. 13442). Body gray, with 10 well-spaced, narrow, darker gray vertical bars on side (Ref. 26938).

Inhabits shallow reefs or rocky areas. Found in loose aggregations (Ref. 9710). Mainly diurnal. Ingests sand when feeding on algae (Ref. 13442). The spine on both sides of the caudal peduncle may inflict painful wounds (Ref. 5217). Minimum depth reported from Ref. 27115. Larvae are planktonic (Ref. 47377). At Fernando de Noronha Archipelago in southwestern Atlantic, juveniles hold cleaning stations together with the blue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus) and sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis) and graze algae as well as pick molted skin and parasites from green turtles (Chelonia mydas). This behavior is preceded by a characteristic inspection usually followed by feeding nips on the turtles’ skin (head, limbs, and tail), as well as on the carapace. The most inspected and cleaned body parts are the flippers (Ref. 51385).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Traumatogenic (Ref. 5217)

Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

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Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.25-0.50)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Moderate vulnerability (37 of 100)	Medium

Entered by Luna, Susan M.

Modified by Sazima, Ivan

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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