Description

---

Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 24 - 25; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 23. Preserved color blackish brown; black above and behind lips; mouth encircled by a bluish white band; a wide white band across the chest; caudal base with a broad bluish white band; white peduncular spine. Fins black; pectoral with a white band on posterior third.

Common Names

---

Malelah , Bajo , Indonesia

Indangan , Bikol , Philippines

Bleglæbet kirurgfisk , Danish , Denmark

Pale lipped surgeonfish , English , Niue

Pale-lipped surgeonfish , English , Papua New Guinea

Palelipped surgeonfish , English , Guam

Palelipped surgeonfish , English , Micronesia

White-spine surgeon , English , Indonesia

白唇刺尾魚 , Mandarin Chinese , China

白唇刺尾鱼 , Mandarin Chinese , China

Kakabela , Misima-Paneati , Papua New Guinea

Kuu , Palo , Indonesia

Labahita , Tagalog , Philippines

Mungit , Visayan , Philippines

Taxonomic Hierarchy

---

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Acanthuriformes

Family: Acanthuridae

Genus: Acanthurus

Species: Acanthurus leucocheilus Herre, 1927

Climate Zone

---

Tropical

Location

---

Indo-Pacific: Seychelles, Maldives, Andaman Sea, Philippines, Palau, and Line Islands Reported from Indonesia (Ref. 8631). Line Islands and East Africa (Ref. 37792).

Biology

---

Occurs in clear seaward reefs near drop-offs (Ref. 9710, 48637). Solitary or in small groups (Ref. 90102). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 128797.

Habitat

---

associated