Size: 125-275 mm

ID: These fish are distinguished from their coexisting acanthurids by their gray coloration, white caudal peduncle, and a highly lunate caudal fin.

Class: Actinopterygii / Ray-finned fishes

Order: Perciformes / Perch-like fishes

Family: Acanthuridae / Surgeonfishes

Genus Species: Acanthurus bahianus / Ocean Surgeonfish

Habitat: Reef. The ocean surgeonfish is found throughout the tropical western Atlantic from North America to southern Brazil (Rocha et al., 2002). It also occurs in the oceanic islands of Bermuda and in the southern Atlantic islands of Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Trindade, Ascension and St. Helena (Randall, 1956; Floeter et al., 2001).

Food: Primarily herbivorous; feed on green and brown algae as well as small invertebrates. This species also ingests large amounts of sand, presumably to aid in the digestion of algae (Tilghman et al., 2001).