Yellowfin surgeonfish
Amazing fact
The yellowfin surgeonfish can quickly change from plain purplish grey to a striped pattern.
国立科学博物館
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The yellowfin surgeonfish can quickly change from plain purplish grey to a striped pattern.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Yellowfin surgeonfish
- Scientific name
- Acanthurus xanthopterus
- Japanese name
- クロハギ
- Group
- Ocean animals
- Order
- Perciformes
- Family
- Acanthuridae
- Genus
- Acanthurus
Where the name “Yellowfin surgeonfish” comes from
Surgeon in its English name means a doctor who operates, referring to the sharp spine at the base of its tail.
海遊館Young fish prefer shallow, murky water near the shore, while adults prefer the deeper parts of bays and lagoons.
It lives along the coasts and islands of Japan from Ibaraki southward, and in China and the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
How the Yellowfin surgeonfish lives
It is often seen mixed into schools of other similar-looking fish.
宇久井ビジターセンターBasic data
- Range
- Indo-Pacific, and elsewhere
Where the Yellowfin surgeonfish has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- クロハギ
- 简体中文
- 黄翼刺尾鱼
- 繁體中文
- 黃鰭刺尾鯛
- 한국어
- 노랑무늬양쥐돔
- Español
- Cirujano aleta amarilla
- Français
- Chirurgien à Nageoires Jaunes
- Deutsch
- Gelbflossen-Doktorfisch
- Português (Brasil)
- Cirurgião barbatana amarela
- Italiano
- Pesce chirurgo pinne gialle
- العربية
- Anfoos
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Botana belang kuning
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 鳥羽水族館 — クロハギChecked: 2026-11-04
- 海遊館 — クロハギChecked: 2026-11-07
- 宇久井ビジターセンター — クロハギChecked: 2026-11-07
- 国立科学博物館 — Acanthurus xanthopterusChecked: 2026-11-07
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
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