Yellowfin surgeonfish
Acanthurus xanthopterus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Yellowfin surgeonfish
- Scientific
- Acanthurus xanthopterus
- Dhivehi
- ވިލު ކާޅުVilu kaalhu
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 70 cm (total length); commonly 50 cm (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 65 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 1 to 100 m (usually 5 to 90 m)
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2010
Description
The largest surgeonfish, reaching about 70 cm, purplish grey with a yellow patch in front of the eye, yellow-tipped pectoral fins, yellowish dorsal and anal fins with blue bands, and a pale tail base. It schools over sand in deep lagoons and on outer slopes, grazing diatoms and detritus from the sand. It is one of the few surgeonfish that will take a baited hook.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name vilu kaalhu (MRS 1997), after the deep lagoons (vilu) where it is very common in schools.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Acanthurus-xanthopterus.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ވިލު_ކާޅު
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Pez_cirujano_de_aleta_amarilla_(Acanthurus_xanthopterus),_N
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Vilu kaalhu' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ވިލު ކާޅު' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form. 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.