Orange-socket Surgeonfish

Acanthurus auranticavus

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth5–44 m
Water temperature22–30 °C
Best monthsOctober
How commonRare

Photo credit: (c) Wolfgang Ahlmer, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Acanthurus auranticavus, the ringtail surgeonfish or orange-socket surgeonfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. This species is found in the Indo-West Pacific.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Acanthurus auranticavus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 9 records
February: 10 records
March: 8 records
April: 6 records
May: 9 records
June: 5 records
July: 2 records
August: 8 records
September: 7 records
October: 46 records
November: 21 records
December: 13 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 5–44 m · Deepest record: 57 m

0–10 m: 15 records
10–20 m: 14 records
20–30 m: 19 records
30–40 m: 12 records
40–50 m: 4 records
50–60 m: 5 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 22–30 °C

20–22 °C: 1 records
22–24 °C: 6 records
24–26 °C: 9 records
26–28 °C: 10 records
28–30 °C: 58 records

Photos

Names and classification

English: Orange-socket Surgeonfish, Ring-tail Surgeon, Ring-tail Surgeonfish, Ringtail Surgeonfish

Names in 4 more languages

German: Gelbsockel-Doktorfisch
Spanish: Pez Cirujano de Cola Anillada
Filipino: Labahita
Japanese: Majinaikurohagi, マジナイクロハギ

Similar species

Eyestripe surgeonfish
Acanthurus dussumieri
Lined surgeonfish
Acanthurus lineatus
Backsurgeonfish
Acanthurus nigricans
Brown surgeonfish
Acanthurus nigrofuscus
Bluelined surgeonfish
Acanthurus nigroris
Gendarme Fish
Acanthurus olivaceus

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
246 open-data records from 1909 to 2023.
Species data updated October 26, 2026.

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