Doubleband surgeonfish
Acanthurus tennentii
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Doubleband surgeonfish
- Scientific
- Acanthurus tennentii
- Dhivehi
- ދެފަށް ކާޅުDhefah kaalhu
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 31 cm (total length); commonly 25 cm (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 31 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 1 to 40 m (usually 3 to 25 m)
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2010
Description
A brown surgeonfish with two curved black stripes behind the eye (a single horseshoe mark in juveniles), a black patch around the tail spine ringed in pale blue, and a white rear edge to the tail. It grazes algae on lagoon and outer reefs, alone or in small groups. It can switch from pale to very dark brown, making the black marks stand out or vanish.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name dhefah kaalhu (MRS 1997). A fairly common shallow-water surgeonfish in the Maldives. It is an Indian Ocean species.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Acanthurus-tennentii.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ދެފަށް_ކާޅު
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Acanthurus_tennenti1.jpg
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Dhefah kaalhu' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ދެފަށް ކާޅު' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form. FishBase also lists 'Rykathi' under India (Minicoy/Lakshadweep Mahl dialect); not used. FLAG: the source states no traditional name was recorded and this descriptive name was coined for the book; it is not an established fishermen's name.