Scietific Name:
Acanthurus sandvicensis (Streets, 1877)Other Common Names:
Convict Surgeonfish, Sandwich Island Surgeonfish, Hawaiian Manini.Distribution:
The distribution of Acanthurus sandvicensis in limited to Hawaiian waters. However, someregard the Hawaiian Manini as a sub-species of Acanthurus triostegus. The A. triostegus species is found in waters from the Gulf of California westward across the entire tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans to the coast of Africa; it does not occur in Hawaii. The difference between the two species is on the A. triostegus the second stripe is a bit longer and the fin ray counts of the soft dorsal and anal fins are somewhat greater.Identification:
The body of this fish is a light gray/green color above and a whitish underneath. It is marked with six black, vertical bands. The first band passes through the eye, there are four on the body area, and the sixth is a very short band on the upper side of the caudal peduncle (the base of the tail area).Maximum Size:
To 8".Characteristics & Compatibility:
Hawaiian Manini are schooling fish and are found in the shallower oxygen enriched waters of the reef where fine, filamentous algae is abundant. This is in areas where there is little coral, but has lots of rocks or stones that allow the algae to grow well with good sunlight exposure.Being in the Surgeonfish Family, this fish has the characteristic sharp razor-like spur or spine on the caudal peduncle, do not get along well with other same or similar species,and needs plenty of room! For more details about these traits refer to our Tang & Surgeonfish Family Profile.
