Sealife guideThe orangeband surgeonfishAcanthurus olivaceus
Last updated on 09/05/2024 at 09:40 PM
Taxonomy
- Common name: Orangeband surgeonfish
- French name: Poisson chirurgien olive à bande orange, chirurgien à épaulettes, chirurgien gendarme (Polynésie)
- Scientific name: Acanthurus olivaceus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
- Family name: Acanthuridae
- Order name: Acanthuriformes
- Class name: Actinopterygii
Description
The orangeband surgeonfish, as its name suggests, has a dominant greenish-brown color with a distinctive large, horizontally elongated oval orange patch that starts behind its eye and ends in a blue-violet comet-shaped tail in the middle of its body.

The orangeband surgeonfish (Acanthurus olivaceus) © Rickard Zerpe sous licence Creative Commons
A thin light-colored border outlines its long dorsal and anal fins.
The orangeband surgeonfish is a modest-sized fish, reaching about 8 inches in length when fully grown.
Geographic range
The orangeband surgeonfish is found in the tropical waters of the central Pacific ocean and also in the Indian ocean around the coral reefs of Mauritius.
Diet
Like most surgeonfish, the orangeband surgeonfish is primarily herbivorous. It feeds on algae and detritus scraped from the surfaces of coral reefs and rocky bottoms using its beak-shaped mouth.
Did you know ?
As an herbivore, the orangeband surgeonfish helps maintain healthy coral reefs by controlling algae growth.
The orangeband surgeonfish is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The orangeband surgeonfish appears in the IUCN Red List since 2012 within the category Least Concern !
Within the same genus

Black-spot surgeonfish
(Acanthurus bariene)
(Acanthurus bariene)

Blue tang surgeonfish
(Acanthurus coeruleus)
(Acanthurus coeruleus)

Doctorfish
(Acanthurus chirurgus)
(Acanthurus chirurgus)

Japanese surgeonfish
(Acanthurus japonicus)
(Acanthurus japonicus)

Palelipped surgeonfish
(Acanthurus leucocheilus)
(Acanthurus leucocheilus)

Powder blue tang
(Acanthurus leucosternon)
(Acanthurus leucosternon)

Striped surgeonfish
(Acanthurus lineatus)
(Acanthurus lineatus)

Yellowfin surgeonfish
(Acanthurus xanthopterus)
(Acanthurus xanthopterus)
Within the same family

Bluetail unicornfish
(Naso caeruleacauda)
(Naso caeruleacauda)

Humpback unicornfish
(Naso brachycentron)
(Naso brachycentron)

Indian sailfin surgeonfish
(Zebrasoma desjardinii)
(Zebrasoma desjardinii)

Kole tang
(Ctenochaetus strigosus)
(Ctenochaetus strigosus)

Orangespine unicornfish
(Naso lituratus)
(Naso lituratus)

Paletail unicornfish
(Naso brevirostris)
(Naso brevirostris)

Palette surgeonfish
(Paracanthurus hepatus)
(Paracanthurus hepatus)

Sailfin tang
(Zebrasoma velifer)
(Zebrasoma velifer)
Discover also

Black axil chromis
(Chromis atripectoralis)
(Chromis atripectoralis)

Citron coral goby
(Gobiodon citrinus)
(Gobiodon citrinus)

Gorgonian goby
(Bryaninops amplus)
(Bryaninops amplus)

Hooded butterflyfish
(Chaetodon larvatus)
(Chaetodon larvatus)

Orange spotted filefish
(Oxymonacanthus longirostris)
(Oxymonacanthus longirostris)

Oval spot butterflyfish
(Chaetodon speculum)
(Chaetodon speculum)

Pink salmon
(Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)
(Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)

White grunt
(Haemulon plumierii)
(Haemulon plumierii)
Our latestUpdates

Saturday, September 12th 2026
The Caribbean king crab
Discover the Caribbean king crab (Maguimithrax spinosissimus), an impressive reef crab found throughout the Caribbean and western Atlantic.

Thursday, September 10th 2026
The reticulated sandperch
Discover the reticulated sandperch (Parapercis tetracantha), a small Indo-Pacific fish known for its elongated body and distinctive brown and white pattern.

Monday, September 7th 2026
The wedgetail triggerfish
Discover the wedgetail triggerfish, Hawaii's famous state fish. Learn about its vibrant colors, coral reef habitat, unique behavior, and cultural significance in Hawaii.
Photo of the Day

Girelle paon à taches d'encre
(Thalassoma hardwicke)
(Thalassoma hardwicke)
