Acanthurus
Encyclopedia
Acanthurus is the type genus
of the family
Acanthuridae
. Approximately half of all members of the family are members of the genus Acanthurus. They are found in tropical oceans, especially near coral reef
s, with most species in the Indo-Pacific
, but a few are found in the Atlantic Ocean
. As other members of the family, they have a pair of spines, one on either side of the base of the tail, which are dangerously sharp (hence the name "surgeonfish"). Depending on species, they grow to a maximum length of 15-50 cm (6-20 in). Many are very colourful and consequently popular in the marine aquarium trade.
Type genus
In biological classification, a type genus is a representative genus, as with regard to a biological family. The term and concept is used much more often and much more formally in zoology than it is in botany, and the definition is dependent on the nomenclatural Code that applies:* In zoological...
of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Acanthuridae
Acanthuridae
Acanthuridae is the family of surgeonfishes, tangs, and unicornfishes. The family includes about 80 species in six genera, all of which are marine fish living in tropical seas, usually around coral reefs...
. Approximately half of all members of the family are members of the genus Acanthurus. They are found in tropical oceans, especially near coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s, with most species in the Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
, but a few are found in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. As other members of the family, they have a pair of spines, one on either side of the base of the tail, which are dangerously sharp (hence the name "surgeonfish"). Depending on species, they grow to a maximum length of 15-50 cm (6-20 in). Many are very colourful and consequently popular in the marine aquarium trade.
Species
-
- Achilles tang, Acanthurus achillesAcanthurus achillesAcanthurus achilles is a tropical fish with the common names Achilles Tang and Achilles surgeonfish.-Appearance:They are a medium surgeonfish reaching a maximum of 10in/25 cm at adulthood. Acanthurus achilles are black with striking orange and white lining along the fish's fins and tail...
Shaw, 1803. - Whitefin surgeonfish, Acanthurus albipectoralisAcanthurus albipectoralisThe Whitefin surgeonfish is a marine reef tang in the fish family Acanthuridae. Individuals grow to a maximum length of 33 cm ....
Allen & Ayling, 1987. - Orange-socket surgeonfish, Acanthurus auranticavusAcanthurus auranticavusAcanthurus auranticavus, is a tropical fish with the common names Orange-socket surgeonfish and Ring-tail surgeon. It was named by Randall in 1956.-Description:...
Randall, 1956. - Black-spot surgeonfish, Acanthurus barieneAcanthurus barieneAcanthurus bariene is a tropical fish also commonly known as the Bariene surgeonfish, Black-spot surgeonfish, or Eye-spot surgeonfish. It was first named by René Primevère Lesson in 1831....
LessonRené-Primevère LessonRené Primevère Lesson was a French surgeon, naturalist, ornithologist, and herpetologist.Lesson was born at Rochefort, and at the age of sixteen he entered the Naval Medical School there...
, 1831. - Ringtail surgeonfish, Acanthurus blochiiAcanthurus blochiiThe Ringtail surgeonfish is a marine reef tang in the fish family Acanthuridae. The fish grow to a maximum length of 45 cm ....
ValenciennesAchille ValenciennesAchille Valenciennes was a French zoologist.Valenciennes was born in Paris, and studied under Georges Cuvier. Valenciennes' study of parasitic worms in humans made an important contribution to the study of parasitology...
, 1835. - Doctorfish tangDoctorfish tangAcanthurus chirurgus, commonly called the Doctor fish and the Doctorfish tang in English or the Barbero rayado and the Cirujano rayado in Spanish, is a tropical marine fish common in the Atlantic Ocean.-Description:...
, Acanthurus chirurgus (BlochMarcus Elieser BlochMarcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
, 1787). - Chronixis surgeonfish, Acanthurus chronixisAcanthurus chronixisAcanthurus chronixis is a tropical fish known commonly as the Chronixis surgeonfish or the Mimic surgeonfish. It was first named by Randall in 1960. The species lives in coral reefs in the western Pacific....
Randall, 1960. - Atlantic Blue tang surgeonfish, Acanthurus coeruleusAcanthurus coeruleusAcanthurus coeruleus is a surgeonfish found commonly in the Atlantic Ocean.- Description :...
BlochMarcus Elieser BlochMarcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
& SchneiderJohann Gottlob SchneiderJohann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider was a German classicist and naturalist.-Biography:Schneider was born at Collm in Saxony...
, 1801. - Eyestripe surgeonfish, Acanthurus dussumieriAcanthurus dussumieriAcanthurus dussumieri is a Tang from the Indo-Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 54 cm in length....
ValenciennesAchille ValenciennesAchille Valenciennes was a French zoologist.Valenciennes was born in Paris, and studied under Georges Cuvier. Valenciennes' study of parasitic worms in humans made an important contribution to the study of parasitology...
, 1835. - Fowler's surgeonfish, Acanthurus fowleriAcanthurus fowleriAcanthurus fowleri is a tropical fish which is found in coral reefs in the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Australia. It is also commonly known as the Fowler's surgeonfish or the Horse-shoe surgeonfish....
de Beaufort, 1951. - Black surgeonfish, Acanthurus gahhmAcanthurus gahhmAcanthurus gahhm is a tropical fish also known as the Black surgeonfish. It is found in the western Indian Ocean, and is often used in aquariums....
(ForsskålPeter ForsskålPeter Forsskål, sometimes spelled Pehr Forsskål, Peter Forskaol, Petrus Forskål or Pehr Forsskåhl, was a Swedish explorer, orientalist, naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus.-Early life:...
, 1775). - Finelined surgeonfish, Acanthurus grammoptilusAcanthurus grammoptilusAcanthurus grammoptilus is a tropical fish which is found in the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia. Also known, commonly, as the Finelined-surgeonfish, it is used commercially in fisheries, and can be used for food....
RichardsonJohn Richardson (naturalist)Sir John Richardson was a Scottish naval surgeon, naturalist and arctic explorer.Richardson was born at Dumfries. He studied medicine at Edinburgh University, and became a surgeon in the navy in 1807. He traveled with John Franklin in search of the Northwest Passage on the Coppermine Expedition of...
, 1843. - Whitespotted surgeonfish, Acanthurus guttatusAcanthurus guttatusThe Whitespotted surgeonfish or is a marine reef tang in the fish family Acanthuridae. The fish grow to a maximum length of 26 cm ....
ForsterJohann Reinhold ForsterJohann Reinhold Forster was a German Lutheran pastor and naturalist of partial Scottish descent who made contributions to the early ornithology of Europe and North America...
, 1801. - Japan surgeonfish, Acanthurus japonicusAcanthurus japonicusAcanthurus japonicus is a Tang from the Indo-West Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 21 cm in length. It is also known as Japan Surgeonfish, White-faced Surgeonfish and White-nose Surgeonfish....
(Schmidt, 1931). - Palelipped surgeonfish, Acanthurus leucocheilusAcanthurus leucocheilusAcanthurus leucocheilus is a tropical fish also known as the Palelipped surgeonfish or the White-spine surgeonfish. It is used commercially in aquariums....
Herre, 1927. - Whitebar surgeonfish, Acanthurus leucopareiusAcanthurus leucopareiusAcanthurus leucopareius is a sub-tropical fish known commonly as the Whitebar surgeonfish or the Head-band surgeonfish. It is somewhat commercial in fisheries and is used in aquariums. It was first named by Jenkins in 1903....
(Jenkins, 1903). - Powderblue surgeonfish, Acanthurus leucosternonAcanthurus leucosternonAcanthurus leucosternon is a tropical fish with the common names powder blue tang and powderblue surgeonfish.-Appearance:The powder blue tang is light blue with yellow and white highlighted fins. Its face is a uniform black with a white outline. The fish does not undergo color changes as it...
Bennett, 1833. - Lined surgeonfish, Acanthurus lineatusAcanthurus lineatusAcanthurus lineatus also known as a Striped Surgeon is a Tang from the Indo-Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 38 cm in length. Like all tangs it is laterally compressed. It is light colored on the underside with blue and yellow stripes on...
(LinnaeusCarolus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
, 1758).
- White-freckled surgeonfish, Acanthurus maculicepsAcanthurus maculicepsAcanthurus maculiceps is a Tang from the Indo-West Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 40 cm in length....
(Ahl, 1923). - Elongate surgeonfishElongate surgeonfishAcanthurus mata is a tropical fish with the common name Elongate Surgeonfish.-Appearance:The elongate surgeonfish is light blue with numerous brown stripes running down the length of its body, although over time it is able to change colour to become blue overall. It has a band of yellowish green...
, Acanthurus mata (CuvierGeorges CuvierGeorges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...
, 1829). - Monrovia doctorfish, Acanthurus monroviaeAcanthurus monroviaeAcanthurus monroviae is a tropical fish which is found in the eastern Atlantic ocean. It is commercial in fisheries, and is also used in aquariums. It was first named by Franz Steindachner in 1876, and is known commonly as the Monrovia doctorfish....
SteindachnerFranz SteindachnerFranz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist.- Work and career :Being interested in natural history, Steindachner took up the study of fossil fishes on the recommendation of his friend Eduard Suess...
, 1876. - Whitecheek surgeonfish, Acanthurus nigricansAcanthurus nigricansAcanthurus nigricans is a Tang from the Eastern Indian Ocean. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 21.3 cm in length....
(LinnaeusCarolus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
, 1758). - Epaulette surgeonfish, Acanthurus nigricaudaAcanthurus nigricaudaAcanthurus nigricauda is a tropical fish with the common name epaulette surgeonfish....
Duncker & Mohr, 1929. - Brown surgeonfish, Acanthurus nigrofuscusAcanthurus nigrofuscusAcanthurus nigrofuscus or the Brown surgeonfish is a tang from the Indo-Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 21 cm in length....
(ForsskålPeter ForsskålPeter Forsskål, sometimes spelled Pehr Forsskål, Peter Forskaol, Petrus Forskål or Pehr Forsskåhl, was a Swedish explorer, orientalist, naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus.-Early life:...
, 1775). - Bluelined surgeonfish, Acanthurus nigrorisAcanthurus nigrorisAcanthurus nigroris is a Tang from the Indo-Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 25 cm in length....
ValenciennesAchille ValenciennesAchille Valenciennes was a French zoologist.Valenciennes was born in Paris, and studied under Georges Cuvier. Valenciennes' study of parasitic worms in humans made an important contribution to the study of parasitology...
, 1835. - Bluelined surgeon, Acanthurus nubilusAcanthurus nubilusAcanthurus nubilus is a tropical fish also known as the Bluelined surgeon or the Pin-striped surgeon. It was first named by Fowler and Bean in 1929, and despite being a rare species, is used in aquariums....
(Fowler & Bean, 1929). - Orangespot surgeonfish, Acanthurus olivaceusAcanthurus olivaceusAcanthurus olivaceus is a tropical fish, one of a number of fishes referred to as surgeonfishes.-External links:*...
BlochMarcus Elieser BlochMarcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
& SchneiderJohann Gottlob SchneiderJohann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider was a German classicist and naturalist.-Biography:Schneider was born at Collm in Saxony...
, 1801. - Black-barred surgeonfish, Acanthurus polyzonaAcanthurus polyzonaAcanthurus polyzona is a tropical fish found in coral reefs situated in the western Indian Ocean. It was first named by Pieter Bleeker in 1868, and is commonly known as the Black-barred surgeonfish....
(BleekerPieter BleekerPieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....
, 1868). - Chocolate surgeonfish, Acanthurus pyroferusAcanthurus pyroferusAcanthurus pyroferus is a Tang from the Indo-Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 25 cm in length. Also known as the mimic tang or chocolate tang. It gets the common aquarium trade name, mimic tang, from the juvenile stage mimicking the...
Kittlitz, 1834. - Gulf surgeonfish, Acanthurus randalliAcanthurus randalliAcanthurus randalli is a tropical fish found in the western Atlantic ocean. It was first named by Briggs and Caldwell in 1957, and is commonly known as the Gulf surgeonfish....
Briggs & Caldwell, 1957. - Acanthurus reversusAcanthurus reversusAcanthurus reversus is a tropical fish found in coral reefs in the Marquesas Islands. It was first named by Randall and Earle in 1999....
Randall & Earle, 1999. - Sohal surgeonfishSohal surgeonfishThe sohal surgeonfish or sohal tang, Acanthurus sohal, is a Red Sea endemic which grows to 16 inches in the wild. Its striking blue and white horizontal stripes has made it what many consider the 'poster fish' for the Red Sea reef environment...
, Acanthurus sohal (ForsskålPeter ForsskålPeter Forsskål, sometimes spelled Pehr Forsskål, Peter Forskaol, Petrus Forskål or Pehr Forsskåhl, was a Swedish explorer, orientalist, naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus.-Early life:...
, 1775). - Doubleband surgeonfish, Acanthurus tennentiiAcanthurus tennentiiThe Doubleband Surgeonfish or Lieutenant Tang is a marine reef tang in the fish family Acanthuridae. The fish grows to a maximum length of 31 cm ....
Günther, 1861. - Thompson's surgeonfish, Acanthurus thompsoniAcanthurus thompsoniAcanthurus thompsoni is a tropical fish found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It was first named by Fowler in 1923, and is commonly known as the Thompson's surgeonfish. It is commercial in aquarium use....
(Fowler, 1923). - Ocean surgeonfishOcean SurgeonfishThe Ocean Surgeonfish, Acanthurus bahianus, is a tropical fish known to live in reefs in the Atlantic Ocean.-Description:Ocean Surgeonfish are known by their oval bodies with uniform color , the pale to dark marking around the eyes, and the light yellow is now found on their bodies...
, Acanthurus bahianus Poey, 1860 - Convict surgeonfish, Acanthurus triostegusAcanthurus triostegusThe manini is a small surgeonfish in family Acanthuridae of order Perciformes. Its about long. It is whitish-yellow with zebra-like black stripes on its side. Its resemblance to a prisoner’s uniform gave it the nicknames of convict surgeonfish and convict tang. Manini is a favorite food fish...
(LinnaeusCarolus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
, 1758). - Indian Ocean mimic surgeonfish, Acanthurus tristisAcanthurus tristisAcanthurus tristis is a Tang from the Indian Ocean. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 25 cm in length....
Randall, 1993. - Yellowfin surgeonfish, Acanthurus xanthopterus ValenciennesAchille ValenciennesAchille Valenciennes was a French zoologist.Valenciennes was born in Paris, and studied under Georges Cuvier. Valenciennes' study of parasitic worms in humans made an important contribution to the study of parasitology...
, 1835.
- Achilles tang, Acanthurus achilles