Thompson's surgeonfish
Acanthurus thompsoni
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Thompson's surgeonfish
- Scientific
- Acanthurus thompsoni
- Dhivehi
- ނިގޫހުދު ކާޅުNigoo hudhu kaalhu
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 27 cm (total length) (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 27 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 119 m (usually 5 to 70 m); also enters brackish water
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2010
Description
A plain chocolate-brown surgeonfish with a bright white tail and small dark spots at the rear of the dorsal fin and under the pectoral fin. Unusually for its family it feeds on zooplankton, forming loose groups well above steep outer slopes and drop-offs. It is common on current-swept reefs.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name nigoo hudhu kaalhu (MRS 1997). MRS notes it schools and is very common on current-swept Maldivian reefs.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Acanthurus-thompsoni.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ނިގޫހުދު_ކާޅު
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Cirujano_de_Thompson_(Acanthurus_thompsoni),_Anilao,_Filipi
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Nigoo hudhu kaalhu' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ނިގޫހުދު ކާޅު' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form. FishBase also lists 'Kalahandi' 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.