About Ctenochaetus striatus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)
Ctenochaetus striatus has a dorsal fin supported by 8 spines and 27 to 31 soft rays, while its anal fin is supported by 3 spines and 24 to 28 soft rays. Its overall body color is greenish-brown, marked with slender, winding blue lines that run along its flanks, and it has many orange spots on its head. These blue lines also extend onto the dorsal and anal fins. The maximum published total length for this species is 26 centimeters, which is 10 inches. Ctenochaetus striatus has a wide distribution across the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Its range extends along the eastern African coast, from the Red Sea south to Aliwal Shoal off South Africa, and continues across the entire Indian Ocean. It is not found along the mainland coast of South Asia between the Gulf of Oman and the Bay of Bengal. Its range reaches into the Pacific Ocean east to Pitcairn Island and French Polynesia, north to the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan, and south to Rapa Iti, plus the Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs in the Coral Sea. This species, commonly called the striated surgeon fish, inhabits reef flats, lagoons, and seaward reefs, over areas with coral, rock pavement, and rubble. It occurs at depths between 0 and 60 meters, or 0 and 197 feet.
