General Information

COMMON NAMES: Striped Bristletooth, Lined Bristletooth, Common Bristle-toothed Surgeonfish, Bristle-toothed Surgeonfish, Black Surgeonfish, Striated Surgeonfish; German Brauner Borstenzahndoktor; French Chirurgien Strié, Maïto TRADITIONAL NAMES: Maito (RR AT MK MT TS TW MH RK), Api Va‘a-vere (MG), Maito / Tiko‘omi < Maito (AK), Maito? / Kikoshami? (PL), Mā (PK NS); Other Polynesian - Maito (TAH), Hami (TUA), Paahua, Mahaa (MQA); COMMENT: Aitutaki: Around September Tikoami to about 2cm are white and soft bones. They turn black and hard bones after sunrise. GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Tuamotus; n. to s.Japan; s. to s.GBR - Rapa COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group and N.Group. Very Common. PLUS:; Marine, near-shore, lagoon and outer reef-slope to 25m SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Favoured, esp. South.; Poisonous to eat - Ciguatoxic KEY FEATURES: To 20cm SL, changing between dark brown and light grey; pale orange spots on upper head; body with narrow pale blue stripes. JUV. to 12cm, body bright blue with ~9 narrow red stripes.. NOTE: The most common surgeonfish. Uses its bristle-like teeth to feed on fine organic sediment on sand and rocks, where it also intakes the Ciguatera Dinoflagellate - if it is present. From the dinoflagellate it absorbs both the fat-soluble ciguatoxin and the water-soluble maitotoxin. The ciguatoxin alone is passed up the food-chain to the higher level predators which concentrate the toxin in their fatty tissues.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
	^P	^^P	^P		^++++	++++

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
	P		P		++++

Ctenochaetus striatus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)
SYNONYMS: Acanthurus striatus [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Acanthuroidei; ACANTHURIDAE, Acanthurinae

IDENTIFICATION: Oval to 20cm SL with many bristle-like teeth. Changing from dark brown to light grey; pale orange-yellow spots on upper head, and closeset narrow pale bluish stripes on body extending onto Dorsal and Anal Fins; tail dark. Eye ± yellow rim. JUV to 8-12cm, body bright blue with ~9 narrow red stripes; Dorsal, Anal and Tail dark blue with blue edge.

GENERAL NOTE: The most abundant surgeonfish in e.Africa and also in Tahiti - and elsewhere. Causes ciguatera illness due to fat-soluble ciguatoxin and water-soluble maitotoxin.

Vouchers:
Mangaia: specimen, College, 9/2000, ID GMcC. Atiu: field-specimen, College collection, 10/2000, ID GMcC. Mauke: field-specimen, College, 3/2001, ID GMcC. Aitutaki: field-specimen, NBSAP School, 12/2000, ID GM; fieldsight, lagoon, 12/2000, GMcC. Palmerston: Photo76 (G&S85); Listed (Preston95). Manihiki: A676-1specimen, A781-1,A963-1 (B&M74). Pukapuka: specimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack, to BPBM, ID J.Randall as Ctenochaetus stiatus, 5/2004. Suwarrow: field ID N.Sims (Sims EIA99).

References:
text p.248 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 129b Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.427 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.589 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 126-08 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 94-09 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 918 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zB02, zD02

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