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The Striped Surgeonfish can be easily recognised by its colouration. The upper three-quarters of the head and body are covered with black-edged, blue and yellow stripes. The lower quarter is purple to pale blue.
It has a lunate caudal fin and a long spine on the caudal peduncle.
The Striped Surgeonfish grows to 38 cm in length.
It occurs on exposed coral reefs throughout much of the central and Indo-Pacific.
In Australia it is known from off northwestern Western Australia and from the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland to northern New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Related links:
Further reading:
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Allen, G.R. & R. Swainston. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 201.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian Reef Fishes. Coral Graphics. Pp. 330.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
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A Striped Surgeonfish at a depth of 4 m, Southeast Horn, Osprey Reef, Coral Sea, November 1998. View larger image.
A Striped Surgeonfish at a depth of 10 m, Gotham City Reef, 2 km southwest of Mana Island, Fiji, April 2003. View larger image.
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