nounsurgeonfish, surgeonfishes

• A deep-bodied and typically brightly colored tropical marine fish with a scalpel-like spine on each side of the tail.

  Family Acanthuridae: several genera and many species. See also tang

  ‘Damselfish make up almost half, with angelfish, surgeonfish, wrasses, gobies, and butterfly fish accounting for another 25 to 30 percent.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Acanthurids, commonly known as surgeonfishes, are characterized by the existence of the ‘scalpel,’ a distinctive spine or group of spines on either side of the tail base, hence the common name surgeonfish.’
  • ‘Most of what you see here are coral fish like various wrasses, squirrelfish, Moorish Idols, parrotfish, angelfish, surgeonfish and butterflyfish.’
  • ‘This morphological signal also appears to persist, with the rabbitfishes, surgeonfishes (Acan - thuridae), damselfishes, and scats already occupying this space in the Eocene.’
  • ‘Adult emperor angels, coral groupers and shoals of sweepers mingle in the little overhangs, while overhead swim great shoals of pencilled surgeonfish, yellow butterfly fish and brilliantly coloured Moorish idols.’
  • ‘Blue tang surgeonfish and striped parrotfish forage in large ‘roving’ groups, feeding from the algal turf defended by damselfish (Pomacentridae).’
  • ‘Emperor angelfish, moorish idols, surgeonfish and sergeant-majors greeted us in the 20-25m visibility at almost every corner.’
  • ‘On the morning dives we drifted in crystal currents, passing over orange gorgonians and red soft corals, and among schools of goatfish, snappers and surgeonfish.’
  • ‘Schools of fusiliers and surgeonfish and over 400 other species of tropical fish have made it their home.’
  • ‘I could identify lion fish, clown fish and orangestripe surgeonfish.’
  • ‘In the shallower water gather surgeonfish, triggerfish, scorpionfish, goatfish and giant clams.’
  • ‘The upper part is the territory of the surgeonfish which savagely protects it by attacking divers when they approach.’
  • ‘Yellow Tang and surgeonfish sometimes employ scalpel-like fins against those who grab them.’
  • ‘There are busy cleaning stations along each metre of reef, some for surgeonfish, others for batfish, each seductively changing colour to attract the attention of the cleaning wrasses.’
  • ‘Fish are fed in this area, so shoals of angelfish, surgeonfish, damsels and sergeant majors approach divers without fear.’
  • ‘Many species, such as parrotfish and surgeonfish, prospered on the algae covering that invades stricken coral reefs.’
  • ‘At the same site we saw a pair of purple flame gobies, a fantastic blue-ribbon eel, clown triggerfish and a beautifully striped surgeonfish.’
  • ‘A shoal of surgeonfish sensibly moves out of harm's way.’
  • ‘The powder blue surgeonfish from the Indo-Pacific Ocean is an uncommon variety.’
  • ‘I am lifted from my rhythmic reverie when I am ambushed by a school of surgeonfish.’