About Acanthurus pyroferus Kittlitz, 1834
Acanthurus pyroferus, first described by Kittlitz in 1834, has a dorsal fin supported by 8 spines and 27 to 30 soft rays. Its anal fin has 3 spines and 24 to 28 soft rays. The fish has an overall yellowish-brown body, with a white band encircling its mouth. A dark-colored band runs from its chin to the upper edge of the operculum, and there is an orange patch around the base of its pectoral fin. The caudal fin has a white posterior margin. The maximum published total length recorded for this species is 29 centimeters (11 inches).
This species occurs in the Indo-Pacific region. In the Indian Ocean, it is recorded at Scott and Ashmore Reef, Christmas Island, and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. In the Pacific Ocean, its range extends east as far as French Polynesia and the Line Islands, north to Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, and south to New South Wales, Australia. It inhabits depths between 2 meters (6 feet 7 inches) and 60 meters (196 feet 10 inches), and lives solitarily on reefs.
