Species: Acanthurus sohal, Red sea surgeonfish, Sohal surgeonfish

Acanthurus sohal (Forsskall, 1775)

Sohal surgeonfish,  Red Sea surgeonfish

Body strongly compressed, a distinctly elongate oval; head profile steep, gently rounded; eye high on side of  head; mouth small, low on head; teeth on jaws fixed, with flattened, notched tips, 16 on top jaw, 18 on lower; gill rakers 23-26; dorsal fin IX, 30-31 no notch after spines; anal fin III, 28-29; dorsal and anal fins relatively high; pectoral rays 15-17; pelvic fin I, 5; a single, long, slender depressible spine fits into a groove on the side of the base of the tail; tail fin edge lunate, strongly so in adult.

Pale grey; upper head with narrow black stripes; upper 2/3 of body with thin black stripes; dorsal, anal and tail fins black, with blue margin; adult: pectoral white/yellow, with black edges; behind pectoral with an orange blotch; tail spine sheath orange.

Reaches 40 cm.

Outer edge of reef flats.

Depth range: 0-50 m.

North Western Indian Ocean: exotic introduced to Florida.