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)
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
Blue tang surgeonfish (Acanthurus coeruleus)
Blue tang surgeonfish
(Acanthurus coeruleus)
Doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus)
Doctorfish
(Acanthurus chirurgus)
Mimic surgeonfish (Acanthurus pyroferus)
Mimic surgeonfish
(Acanthurus pyroferus)
Ocean tang (Acanthurus bahianus)
Ocean tang
(Acanthurus bahianus)
Palelipped surgeonfish (Acanthurus leucocheilus)
Palelipped surgeonfish
(Acanthurus leucocheilus)
Sohal surgeonfish (Acanthurus sohal)
Sohal surgeonfish
(Acanthurus sohal)
Yellowfin surgeonfish (Acanthurus xanthopterus)
Yellowfin surgeonfish
(Acanthurus xanthopterus)
Yellowmask surgeonfish (Acanthurus mata)
Yellowmask surgeonfish
(Acanthurus mata)
Within the same family
Bluetail unicornfish (Naso caeruleacauda)
Bluetail unicornfish
(Naso caeruleacauda)
Humpback unicornfish (Naso brachycentron)
Humpback unicornfish
(Naso brachycentron)
Indian sailfin surgeonfish (Zebrasoma desjardinii)
Indian sailfin surgeonfish
(Zebrasoma desjardinii)
Kole tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus)
Kole tang
(Ctenochaetus strigosus)
Orangespine unicornfish (Naso lituratus)
Orangespine unicornfish
(Naso lituratus)
Paletail unicornfish (Naso brevirostris)
Paletail unicornfish
(Naso brevirostris)
Palette surgeonfish (Paracanthurus hepatus)
Palette surgeonfish
(Paracanthurus hepatus)
Sailfin tang (Zebrasoma velifer)
Sailfin tang
(Zebrasoma velifer)
Discover also
European conger eel (Conger conger)
European conger eel
(Conger conger)
Hooded butterflyfish (Chaetodon larvatus)
Hooded butterflyfish
(Chaetodon larvatus)
Longnosed stargazer (Ichthyscopus lebeck)
Longnosed stargazer
(Ichthyscopus lebeck)
Lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus)
Lumpfish
(Cyclopterus lumpus)
Ocellated frogfish (Fowlerichthys ocellatus)
Ocellated frogfish
(Fowlerichthys ocellatus)
Redfin emperor (Monotaxis heterodon)
Redfin emperor
(Monotaxis heterodon)
Sailfin snapper (Symphorichthys spilurus)
Sailfin snapper
(Symphorichthys spilurus)
Sixbar wrasse (Thalassoma hardwicke)
Sixbar wrasse
(Thalassoma hardwicke)

Our latestUpdates

The common sea fan
Friday, November 7th 2025
The common sea fan
The common sea fan, is a type of soft coral found in the warm, shallow waters of the Caribbean and the western Atlantic ocean. It grows in wide, fan-shaped forms that sway gently with the ocean currents, helping it catch tiny food particles drifting by. Its beautiful purple branches are covered by a thin living tissue that hosts tiny algae, which provide much of the coral's energy through sunlight.
The leopard blenny
Thursday, October 30th 2025
The leopard blenny
The leopard blenny is a small reef fish from the Indo-Pacific ocean. It is easily recognized by its spotted coloration, which resembles that of a leopard. It lives on shallow coral reefs, feeds mainly on algae and polyps and skillfully camouflages among the corals to avoid predators.
The Spanish slipper lobster
Monday, October 27th 2025
The Spanish slipper lobster
The Spanish slipper lobster is a colorful crustacean found around reefs in the tropical waters of the northwestern Atlantic. Its flattened body and distinctive antennae allow it to hide in crevices during the day and emerge at night to feed on benthic invertebrates.
Photo of the Day
Poisson crapaud splendide (Sanopus splendidus)
Poisson crapaud splendide
(Sanopus splendidus)