About Acanthurus sohal (Forsskål, 1775)
Description: The sohal surgeonfish has a dorsal fin supported by 9 spines and 30 or 31 soft rays, while its anal fin is supported by 3 spines and 28 or 29 soft rays, most often 29. The depth of the fish's body is roughly half its standard length. This species has thin, longitudinal black stripes separated by greenish olive stripes; all these stripes join together at the spine on the caudal peduncle. The stripes are finer and more sinuous on the upper body, and broader and straighter on the lower body. The stripes are greyer on the upper head and nape. The lower head and ventral body surface are pale, with faint grey and greenish grey longitudinal lines. The dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins are black with vivid blue margins; there is a large orange patch on the body underneath the pectoral fin, and the sheath of the spine on the caudal peduncle is also orange. The caudal fin is lunate, or crescent-shaped. This species has a maximum published total length of 40 cm (16 in).
Distribution and habitat: The sohal surgeonfish is endemic to the northwestern Indian Ocean, where it occurs in the Red Sea, and extends east along the Arabian Peninsula coast to the Persian Gulf. Individuals have been recorded in the Mediterranean Sea in 2017 and 2018; they likely reached this area either via release from an aquarium or through Lessepsian migration from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. It typically inhabits the outer edges of fringing reefs exposed to water surge, most commonly at depths down to around 20 m (66 ft).
