Monrovia Doctorfish

Acanthurus monroviae

Monrovia Doctorfish are marine ray-finned fish characterized by their oval, laterally compressed bodies and a distinctive orange-yellow patch around the spine on the caudal peduncle. They are generally brown with wavy, horizontal light blue lines across their head and body, and a yellow upper margin on the operculum. The caudal fin is lunate with a whitish rear margin. They can grow up to a maximum length of 45 cm. This species inhabits the tropical eastern Atlantic Ocean, ranging from southern Morocco to Angola, including the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. They have also been recorded in the Mediterranean Sea and as vagrants along the coast of Brazil. Monrovia Doctorfish prefer coastal environments, often found at the mouths of rivers and in lagoons with rocky and coral substrates, at depths of 5 to 200 meters, though most are found shallower than 50 meters. Their diet consists of zooplankton, phytoplankton, and detritus. The IUCN lists them as Least Concern.