Ctenochaetus strigosus

Gold Rings bristle tooth doctor fish ( Ctenochaetus strigosus ) not yet fully grown

The Gold Ring bristle tooth doctor fish ( Ctenochaetus strigosus ) lives in the Indo-Pacific, endemic in Hawaii and Johnston Atoll. Literature reports of occurrences in the Red Sea, the coast of East Africa, New Caledonia and the Great Barrier Reef may be based on a confusion with the Indian gold ring doctor ( Ctenochaetus truncatus ).

The Gold Ring bristle tooth doctor fish lives in deep lagoons and outer reefs to a depth of 45 meters. Young fish live as a loner, later they live in small groups or in pairs.

In the course of their lives they have three color phases. Juveniles are pure yellow, with a narrow blue hem on the dorsal and anal fin, then they get a blue - brown striped pattern. Adult fish are brown with pale spots.

The up to 18 -inch-long fish feed on detritus and fine layer of algae on stones.