In the spotlight
What is El Niño?
A new El Niño event, described as “very strong”, is set to occur from this spring onwards.
Identity card
Eyestripe surgeonfish
- Scientific name:
- Acanthurus dussumieri
- Family:
- Acanthuridae
- Class:
- Actinopterygii
- Phylum:
- Chordata
- Year of description:
- 1835, Valenciennes
- IUCN Status:
- Least Concern
- Distribution:
-
Indo-Pacific: from East Africa to the Hawaiian Islands, Japan, and the Great Barrier Reef.
- Habitat:
-
Found in shoals in offshore reefs, adults on deep slopes and around shipwrecks.
- Size:
35 cm, up to 54 cm.
- Diet:
-
Algae, diatoms and detritus.
