Acanthurus gahhm
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Acanthuriformes
Family: Acanthuridae
Genus: Acanthurus
Species:
A. gahhm
Binomial name
Acanthurus gahhm
(Gmelin, 1789)[2]
Synonyms[3]
  • Chaetodon nigrofuscus gahhm Gmelin, 1789

Acanthurus gahhm, the black surgeonfish, monk surgeonfish or lined surgeonfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes or tangs. This fish is found in the Western Indian Ocean.

Taxonomy

Acanthurus gahhm was first formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin with its type locality not being given but is thought to be the Red Sea.[4] The genus Acanthurus is one of two genera in the tribe Acanthurini which is one of three tribes in the subfamily Acanthurinae which is one of two subfamilies in the family Acanthuridae.[5]

Etymology

Acanthurus gahhm has a specific name, gahhm, which is an Arabic word for surgeonfish in the Red Sea.[6] It was thought to have been used by Peter Forsskål in 1755 but was described as an Arabic common name and not used as a valid specific name until Gmelin used it in 1789.[2]

Description

This fish reaches up to 50 centimeters in length. It is oval in shape and laterally compressed. Like other surgeonfishes, it swims with its pectoral fins. The caudal fin has a crescent shape. The mouth is small and pointed. The body is black to dark brown, with a white ring around the base of the tail and a yellow stripe around the eyes. The pectoral fins are tipped with yellow.[7]

Distribution

Acanthurus gahmm is found in the north western Indian Ocean where it is endemic to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, records farther east are likely to be misidentifications of A. nigricauda.[1]

Biology

This is a demersal fish. It lives on reefs and in lagoons and other sandy areas up to 40 meters deep.[3]

This species is omnivorous, feeding on algae, zooplankton and other small invertebrates, and detritus. It is active during the day and may swim in groups or remain solitary.[8]

Uses

This species is kept in aquaria and harvested for food.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Abesamis, R.; Choat, J.H.; Clements, K.D.; et al. (2012). "Acanthurus gahhm". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012: e.T154818A17627321. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012.RLTS.T154818A17627321.en. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 Fricke, Ronald (2008). "Authorship, availability and validity of fish names described by Peter (Pehr) Simon Forsskål and Johann Christian Fabricius in the 'Descriptiones animalium' by Carsten Niebuhr in 1775 (Pisces)". Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde A Neue Serie. 1: 1–76.
  3. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2023). "Acanthurus gahhm" in FishBase. June 2023 version.
  4. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Acanthurus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  5. ↑ J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. pp. 497–502. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6.
  6. ↑ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (12 January 2021). "Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 2): Families EPHIPPIDAE, LEIOGNATHIDAE, SCATOPHAGIDAE, ANTIGONIIDAE, SIGANIDAE, CAPROIDAE, LUVARIDAE, ZANCLIDAE and ACANTHURIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  7. ↑ Gerald R. Allen; Roger Steene; Paul Humann; Ned DeLoach (2003). Reef Fish Identification: Tropical Pacific. New World Publications, Inc. ISBN 1878348361.
  8. ↑ Vilcinskas, A. La vie sous-marine des tropiques. Vigot, 2002. ISBN 2711415252
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