General Information

COMMON NAMES: Elongate Surgeonfish, Mata Tang, White-tail Lancet, Bleeker's Surgeonfish, Bluelined Surgeonfish, Striped Surgeonfish; German Grauer Doktorfish; French Chirurgien à Queue Blanche, Chirurgien de Bleeker TRADITIONAL NAMES: Maito Aari ? (RR), Api (MG), Maito (AT TS TW), Maito Pārangi (MK), Maito ‘A‘ari (AK), Mā (PK); Other Polynesian - Tiamu (TAH), Mumu (TUA), Komamo (MQA) GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Tuamotus; n. to s.Japan; s. to s.GBR - New Caledonia COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group and N.Group. Uncommon. PLUS:; Marine, near-shore, outer reef-slope below 20m KEY FEATURES: Uniformly dark brown to blue-grey to 50cm SL; rounded face and lunar tail. Eye with yellow in front and behind; upper lip yellow. Cheek with ~7 narrow dark stripes. The similar Ringtail Surgeonfish (Acanthurus blochii) has a white ring at the base of its tail. SIMILAR SPECIES: Ringtail Surgeonfish (Acanthurus blochii) is similar with yellow around the eye, and stripes on the cheeks, but it has a white ring near the base of the tail (vs. uniformtail).

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
	P					P

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
P			P		++

Acanthurus mata Cuvier, 1829
SYNONYMS: Acanthurus bleekeri [of authors]; Acanthurus meta [alt. spelling]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Acanthuroidei; ACANTHURIDAE, Acanthurinae

IDENTIFICATION: A dark surgeon to 50cm. Face rounded, tail-base narrow, tail lunar. Body and fins brown to blue-grey, including tail. Eye with yellow blotch behind and two wide yellow stripes anteriorly. Cheeks with ~7 narrow dark stripes.

Vouchers:
Palmerston: Listed (Preston95). Tongareva: fieldspecimen+photo, NBSAP, 11/2001, ID GMcC. Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004. Suwarrow: field ID N.Sims (Sims EIA99).

References:
text p.246 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 126d Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.423 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.583 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 125-05 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 94-01 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

Web Resources

• Google
• Google Images
• FishBase