The striated surgeonfish, ''Ctenochaetus striatus'', is a
species of marine
fish in the
family Acanthuridae
Acanthuridae are the family of surgeonfishes, tangs, and unicornfishes. The family includes about 86 extant species of marine fish living in tropical seas, usually around coral reefs. Many of the species are brightly colored and popular in aq ...
.
The striated surgeonfish can reach a maximum size of 24 cm in length, but its common size is observed to be around 18 cm.
The striated surgeonfish is one of the few
herbivorous fishes which are occasionally toxic.
Ciguatera poisoning is caused by the accumulation of a toxin produced by certain microscopic
dinoflagellate
The dinoflagellates (Greek δῖνος ''dinos'' "whirling" and Latin ''flagellum'' "whip, scourge") are a monophyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes constituting the phylum Dinoflagellata and are usually considered algae. Dinoflagellates are ...
s which it ingests while feeding on
algae
Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...
. If a contaminated fish is eaten by humans, the concentrated poison contained within its tissues causes neurological damage that can be fatal.
It occasionally makes its way into the
aquarium trade.
When compared to other coral-fish larvae, the striated surgeonfish uniquely exhibits a non-selective attraction to noisy areas, where others are repelled or are selectively attracted to specific sounds.
References
External links
*
Acanthuridae
Fish described in 1825
{{Acanthuridae-stub