Brazil country information

Common names: Acaraúna, Acaraúna-preta, Barbeiro
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: common (usually seen) | Ref: Feitoza, B.M., R.S. Rosa and L.A. Rocha, 2005
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: live export: yes;
Comments: Ranges from Paraíba south to São Paulo, including Manuel Luiz Reefs, Atol das Rocas, Fernando de Noronha, Zumbi Reefs, and Abrolhos Reefs (Ref. 57756). Museum: C. de Sta. Marta, MZUSP 78189 (Ref. 47377). Traded as an aquarium fish at Fortaleza, Ceará (Ref. 49392). Also Ref. 3142, 9761, 13442, 13628, 26938, 33499, 35834 and 36453.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Floeter, S.R., J.L. Gasparini, L.A. Rocha, C.E.L. Ferreira, C.A. Rangel and B.M. Feitoza, 2003
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Chirurgien docteur, Black doctorfish, Doctor, ... more

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Acanthuriformes (Surgeonfishes) > Acanthuridae (Surgeonfishes, tangs, unicornfishes) > Acanthurinae
Etymology: Acanthurus: Greek, akantha = thorn + Greek, oura = tail (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Bloch.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 2 - 25 m (Ref. 7345), usually 2 - 15 m (Ref. 27115). Subtropical; 22°C - 25°C (Ref. 27115); 43°N - 30°S, 98°W - 14°W (Ref. 55164)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Western Atlantic: Massachusetts (USA), Bermuda, and the northern Gulf of Mexico to São Paulo, Brazil. Eastern Atlantic: Senegal.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ?, range 17 - ? cm
Max length : 39.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 47377); common length : 35.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217); max. published weight: 5.1 kg (Ref. 40637)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 24 - 25; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 22 - 23. Caudal fin slightly emarginate (Ref. 13442). Body gray, with 10 well-spaced, narrow, darker gray vertical bars on side (Ref. 26938).

Inhabits shallow reefs or rocky areas. Found in loose aggregations (Ref. 9710). Mainly diurnal. Ingests sand when feeding on algae (Ref. 13442). The spine on both sides of the caudal peduncle may inflict painful wounds (Ref. 5217). Minimum depth reported from Ref. 27115. Larvae are planktonic (Ref. 47377). At Fernando de Noronha Archipelago in southwestern Atlantic, juveniles hold cleaning stations together with the blue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus) and sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis) and graze algae as well as pick molted skin and parasites from green turtles (Chelonia mydas). This behavior is preceded by a characteristic inspection usually followed by feeding nips on the turtles’ skin (head, limbs, and tail), as well as on the carapace. The most inspected and cleaned body parts are the flippers (Ref. 51385).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Randall, John E. | Collaborators

Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p. (Ref. 7251)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 03 May 2010

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Traumatogenic (Ref. 5217)

Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial

FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 26.1 - 28, mean 27.4 (based on 769 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.02188 (0.01789 - 0.02676), b=2.95 (2.91 - 2.99), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 2.1 ±0.1 se; based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.25-0.50).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (23 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Medium.

Acanthurus chirurgus (Bloch, 1787)