Acanthurus xanthopterus Valenciennes, 1835

Pradhan, J, Ray, D & Balakrishnan, S, 2023, First report on the occurrence of two marine ornamental fishes (Acanthuriformes) from Northern part of the Bay of Bengal, India, Indian Journal of Geo Marine Sciences 52 (5), pp. 261-264 : 261-262

1. Acanthurus xanthopterus Valenciennes, 1835

Common name: Yellowfin Surgeonfish

1835. Acanthurus xanthopterus Cuvier and Valenciennes, Histoire naturelle des poissons. Tome dixième. Suite du livreneuvième. Scombéroïdes. Livredixième. De la famille des Teuthyes. Livreonzième. De la famille des Taenioïdes. Livredouzième. Des Athérines. v. 10: i-xxiv + 1-482 + 2 pp., Pls. 280-306.

Material examined: Two specimens; SL 189 – 244 mm; location: Digha Mohana, collection date: July 21, 2018 ( MARC /ZSI/F8356); Chandipur, collection date: June 14, 2013 ( MARC /ZSI/F3045) .

Diagnostic characters: D: IX+26, A: II+25, P: I+14, LL: P, GR: 17-19. Body oblong, compressed ( Fig. 1 ), its depth 2.12 – 2.19 in SL. Head profile convex, head length 0.26 in SL. Mouth terminal, eye diameter 0.23 – 0.25 in HL; interorbital space convex and 0.21 – 0.34 in HL. Violet grey coloration with a yellow stain on the eyes and snout; distal part of the pectoral fins yellow. High and compressed body. A folding spine on both sides of the caudal peduncle. Pelvic fin rays I, 4. Long and high dorsal and anal fins. Mouth small, teeth fixed and in a single row.

Colour: Body blue grey with irregular dark grey lines vertically; a dull yellow area behind and in front of eye; caudal fin bluish-grey; dorsal and anal fins with alternate yellow and blue stripes; outer third of pectoral yellow.

Distribution: Indo-Pacific, East Africa, Eastern Pacific 23; Red Sea, Persian Gulf 24; and Eastern Coast of Somalia 25. From Indian coastal waters, this species is reported from Andaman and Nicobar Island 26, Andhra Pradesh 27, Tamil Nadu 28, Kerala 29, Karnataka 30, Maharashtra 31 and Lakshadweep 32.

Figures

Fig. 1 — Acanthurus xanthopterus Valenciennes, 1835