English Name: Lieutenant surgeonfish
Family: ACANTHURIDAE
Local Name: Dhefah kaalhu
Order: Perciformes
Size: Max. 31 cm
Specimen: MRS/0382/92
Distinctive Characters: Dorsal fin with 9 spines and 23-24 rays. Anal fin with 3 spines and
22-23 rays. Pectoral rays 16. Body depth 1.9-2.2 in standard length. Body becoming more elongaten with increasing size.
Colour: Brown. Black marks behind eye: horseshoe-shaped in juveniles but becoming two separate stripes in adults. Caudal fin with white margin. Black area around caudal spine edged with pale blue.
Habitat and Biology: Found on coral reefs at depths up to 20 m. Forms small schools. Grazes on benthic algae.
Distribution: Western Indian Ocean.
Remarks: Acanthurus tennenti is a fairly common shallow water surgeonfish. The colour of the sides can be changed from very pale brown (when the black ‘ear-stripes’ stand out very clearly) to a very darkbrown (when they are almost invisible).