[3] Acanthurus monroviae has its dorsal fin supported by 9 spines and between 24 and 26 soft rays while the anal fin is supported by 6 spines and 24 to 26 soft rays.

This is broken by a patch of orange-yellow around the spine on the caudal peduncle.

[5] In life there are many wavy, horizontal light blue lines on the head and body.

[4] Acanthurus monroviae is present in the tropical eastern Atlantic Ocean from southern Morocco to Angola, including the Canary Islands, Cape Verde and Gulf of Guinea.

[1] It is a coastal fish which is found at the mouths of rivers and in lagoons where there are rock and coral substrates at depths between 5 and 500 m (16 and 1,640 ft).