Fish
Powderblue Surgeonfish
Acanthurus leucosternon
A vivid powder-blue surgeonfish with a yellow dorsal and white breast, grazing KZN's warm coral reefs.
Also known as powder-blue surgeon, powderblue tang, unicornfish, whitebreast surgeonfish
- Typical size
- Commonly 20-25 cm
- Habitat
- Warm coral and rocky reefs
- Depth
- Surface to about 25 m
The powderblue surgeonfish is one of the most striking reef fish in South African waters: a compact, disc-shaped body of clear powder blue, set off by a black face mask, a bright yellow dorsal fin and a white throat and breast. Like all surgeonfish it carries a sharp, scalpel-like spine on each side of the tail base, which gives the family its name.
It occurs on the warm coral and rocky reefs of northern KwaZulu-Natal, where it grazes algae from the reef, often in loose aggregations that move across the bottom. Divers should admire it without handling, as the caudal spines can inflict a nasty cut if the fish is grabbed; it is otherwise a peaceful grazer.