CreatureData

Purple surgeonfish

Acanthurus xanthopterus Valenciennes, 1835

Status not recordedbony fish

The purple surgeonfish (Acanthurus xanthopterus) is a species in the family Acanthuridae, order Acanthuriformes.

No freely licensed photo yet

Quick facts about the purple surgeonfish

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the purple surgeonfish live?

Not recorded

Is the purple surgeonfish endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the purple surgeonfish classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classTeleostei
  4. orderAcanthuriformes
  5. familyAcanthuridae
  6. genusAcanthurus
  7. SpeciesAcanthurus xanthopterus Valenciennes, 1835

Synonyms Acanthurus crestonis, Acanthurus gahmoides, Acanthurus rasi, Acanthurus reticulatus, Hepatus aquilinus, Hepatus crestonis, Hepatus guntheri, Hepatus xanthopterus, Teuthis crestonis, Teuthis guentheri, Teuthis güntheri, Teuthis xanthopterus

Other names and names in other languages (71)
  • Cuvier's surgeonfishEnglish
  • Ring-tailed surgeonfishEnglish
  • Ringtailed surgeonfishEnglish
  • Yellow-mask surgeonEnglish
  • Yellow-masked surgeonEnglish
  • Yellowfin surgeonfishEnglish
  • Yellowmask surgeonfishEnglish
  • Geelvin-doktervisAfrikaans
  • FardhArabic
  • Peix cirurgià d'aleta grogaCatalan
  • Igainguncal
  • MungitCebuano
  • UgupaoChamorro
  • 粗皮仔Chinese
  • bodlok žlutoploutvýCzech
  • Gulfinnet KirurgfiskDanish
  • Gelbflossen-DoktorfischGerman
  • Pez CirujanoSpanish
  • Kollasemaskiga kirurgkalaEstonian
  • BalagiFijian
  • Chirurgien à ailes jaunesFrench
  • PualuHawaiian
  • Pesce chirurgo di CuvierItalian
  • クロハギJapanese
  • 노랑무늬양쥐돔Korean
  • KabatMarshallese
  • DebamMalay
  • Seliselinlg
  • MesekuukPalauan
  • Cirurgião Barbatana AmarelaPortuguese
  • Indangansgd
  • OravaSinhala
  • KaxanSomali
  • ParaiTahitian
  • ปลาขี้ตังเบ็ดปีกเหลืองThai
  • LabahitaFilipino
  • Te kapalangiTuvalu
  • Meitoroot
  • Palangiwls
  • 黃鰭刺尾魚Chinese
  • AnfoosArabic
  • FaridhArabic
  • Gamashuwagcal
  • Hugupau dankulocal
  • HugupaoChamorro
  • 黄鳍刺尾鲷Chinese
  • Chancho Aleta AmarillaSpanish
  • cirujano aleta amarillaSpanish
  • Cirujano de Aleta AmarillaSpanish
  • Navajón Aleta AmarillaSpanish
  • Pez Cirujano PúrpuraSpanish
  • Balagi nawaFijian
  • IakereFijian
  • Chirurgien à nageoires jaunesFrench
  • Chirurgien à pectorale jauneFrench
  • Chirurgien aile jauneFrench
  • Poisson Docteur à Nageoires JaunesFrench
  • Pesce chirurgo pinna giallaItalian
  • Pesce chirurgo pinne gialleItalian
  • KurohagiJapanese
  • Barat-baratMalay
  • Debam sirip kuningMalay
  • DengkisMalay
  • PeelaSinhala
  • para'iTahitian
  • MangadlitFilipino
  • Apalaniroot
  • Kapalagiroot
  • Palagiroot
  • Pangangiroot
  • 黃鰭刺尾鯛Chinese

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the purple surgeonfish

Other species in the same genus Acanthurus.

Clown tang

Acanthurus lineatus

AcanthuridaeNo free photo yet

Convictfish

Acanthurus triostegus

AcanthuridaeNo free photo yet

Palani

Acanthurus dussumieri

AcanthuridaeNo free photo yet

Sohal

Acanthurus sohal

AcanthuridaeNo free photo yet

Redspot tang

Acanthurus achilles

AcanthuridaeNo free photo yet

ComparePurple surgeonfish vs Blue surgeonfishPurple surgeonfish vs Clown tangPurple surgeonfish vs ConvictfishPurple surgeonfish vs Palani

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

What kind of animal is the purple surgeonfish?

The purple surgeonfish (Acanthurus xanthopterus) belongs to the family Acanthuridae in the order Acanthuriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Purple surgeonfish (Acanthurus xanthopterus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/purple-surgeonfish

MLA

“Purple surgeonfish (Acanthurus xanthopterus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/purple-surgeonfish.

BibTeX
@misc{purple_surgeonfish_2026,
  title = {Purple surgeonfish (Acanthurus xanthopterus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/purple-surgeonfish},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}