DaLilFishie's Guide to the Surgeonfishes and Unicornfishes (Acanthuridae)

[DaLilFishie]

The acanthurids (surgeonfishes and unicornfishes) are a speciose family of coral reef fishes that occur worldwide in tropical and subtropical latitudes. They are highly abundant on reef systems and are perhaps the most ecologically impactful herbivores on many reef systems. However, not all species are herbivorous – some groups instead specialise in feeding on plankton or detritus. They are popular aquarium fishes, but their large size, highly active behaviour, and often, territoriality, means they require a large tank. One defining feature of the group is the presence of large specialised scales on the caudal peduncle that form sharp blades, used for predator defense and warding off rivals. In some species, these blades are known to be venomous. For this thread I will be going by iNaturalist’s taxonomy for this family, which recognises 85 species in 6 genera. Nearly half of these species are in the highly diverse Acanthurus.

N.B. – The words ‘surgeonfish’ and ‘tang’ are used interchangeably in many species names, and are effectively synonymous.

Genus Acanthurus – 42 species
Achilles Tang A. achilles
Whitechin Surgeonfish A. albimento
Whitefin Surgeonfish A. albipectoralis
Orange-socket Surgeonfish A. auranticavus
Brazilian Ocean (Barber) Surgeonfish A. bahianus
Eyespot Surgeonfish A. bariene
Dark Surgeonfish A. blochii
Doctorfish A. chirurgus
Chronixis (Kapingamarangi) Surgeonfish A. chronixis
Atlantic Blue Tang A. coeruleus
Pencil Surgeonfish A. dussumieri
Horseshoe (Fowler’s) Surgeonfish A. fowleri
Black Surgeonfish A. gahhm
Inshore Surgeonfish A. grammoptilus
Whitespotted Surgeonfish A. guttatus
Japan Surgeonfish A. japonicus
White-spine (Palelipped) Surgeonfish A. leucocheilus
Whitebar Surgeonfish A. leucopareius
Powder Blue Tang A. leucosternon
Bluelined (Clown) Surgeonfish A. lineatus
Spotted-face Surgeonfish A maculiceps
Pale (Elongate) Surgeonfish A. mata
Mindoro Surgeonfish A. mindorensis
Monrovia Doctorfish A. monroviae
Velvet (Whitecheek) Surgeonfish A. nigricans
Eyeline (Epaulette) Surgeonfish A. nigricauda
Dusky Surgeonfish (Lavender Tang) A. nigrofuscus
Hawaiian Blueline Surgeonfish A. nigroris
Greyhead Surgeonfish A. nigros
Bluelined (Pinstriped) Surgeonfish A. nubilus
Orangeblotch (Orangeshoulder) Surgeonfish A. olivaceus
Black-barred Surgeonfish (Zebra Tang) A. polyzona
Pacific Mimic (Chocolate) Tang A. pyroferus
Marquesian Surgeonfish A. reversus
Hawaiian Convict Tang (Manini) A. sandvicensis
Sohal (Red Sea) Surgeonfish A. sohal
Lieutenant (Doubleband) Surgeonfish A. tennentii
Night (Thompson’s) Surgeonfish A. thompsoni
Caribbean Ocean (Five-band) Surgeonfish A. tractus
Convict Tang A. triostegus
Indian Ocean Mimic Tang A. tristis
Yellowmask Surgeonfish A. xanthopterus

Genus Ctenochaetus – 9 species

Twospot Bristletooth C. binotatus
Yellowspot Bristletooth C. cyanocheilus
Whitetail Bristletooth C. flavicauda
Hawaiian Bristletooth (Chevron Tang) C. hawaiiensis
Blue-spotted Bristletooth C. marginatus
Lined Bristletooth C. striatus
Goldring Surgeonfish (Kole Tang) C. strigosus
Orange-tip Bristletooth (Tomini Tang) C. tominiensis
Indian Goldring Bristletooth C. truncatus

Genus Naso – 20 species

Ringtail Unicornfish N. annulatus
Humpback Unicornfish N. brachycentron
Paletail (Spotted) Unicornfish N. brevirostris
Blue Unicornfish N. caeruleacauda
Grey Unicornfish N. caesius
Elegant Unicornfish (Blonde Naso Tang) N. elegans
Horseface Unicornfish N. fageni
Sleek Unicornfish N. hexacanthus
Pacific Orange-spined Unicornfish (Naso Tang) N. lituratus
Slender Unicornfish N. lopezi
Scribbled Unicornfish N. maculatus
Squarenose Unicornfish N. mcdadei
Blackspine Unicornfish N. minor
Reticulate Unicornfish N. reticulatus
Taiwanese Unicornfish N. tergus
Onespot Unicornfish N. thynnoides
Humpnose Unicornfish N. tonganus
Humphead Unicornfish N. tuberosus
Bluespine Unicornfish N. unicornis
Bignose (Vlaming’s) Unicornfish N. vlamingii

Genus Paracanthurus – 1 species

Regal (Palette) Tang – P. hepatus

Genus Prionurus – 6 species

Biafra Doctorfish P. biafraensis
Indonesian Sawtail P. chrysurus
Razor Sawtail (Surgeonfish) P. laticlavius
Spotted Sawtail P. maculatus
Australian Sawtail P. microlepidotus
Scalpel Sawtail P. scalprum

Genus Zebrasoma – 7 species

Indian Sailfin Tang Z. desjardinii
Yellow Tang Z. flavescens
Gem Tang Z. gemmatum
Black Tang Z. rostratum
Brown (Scopas) Tang Z. scopas
Pacific Sailfin Tang Z. velifer
Purple Tang Z. xanthurum

 

[DaLilFishie]

Genus Acanthurus – 42 species, 34 in the ZooChat Galleries

Achilles Tang Acanthurus achilles
Occurs in the central Pacific, and at a few localised sites in the eastern Pacific. Hybridises with A. nigricans.


Image by @Hix in Niue


Whitechin Surgeonfish Acanthurus albimento
Very little-known. Known only from six specimens from a fish market in Luzon.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Whitefin Surgeonfish Acanthurus albipectoralis
Occurs in the southwestern Pacific, from eastern Australia to Tonga.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Orange-socket Surgeonfish Acanthurus auranticavus
Occurs in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Brazilian Ocean Surgeonfish Acanthurus bahianus
Occurs on the coast of Brazil and southwestern Atlantic islands. Northwestern Atlantic populations formerly assigned to this species have been split as A. tractus. The two are distinguishable by the colour of the caudal fin margin – yellow in A. bahianus, white-blue in A. tractus.


Image by @vogelcommando at Rotterdam Zoo


Eyespot Surgeonfish Acanthurus bariene
Indo-West Pacific distribution.


Image by @NRJMelvinT at Palais de la Porte Doree Aquarium


Dark Surgeonfish Acanthurus blochii
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific.


Image by @Hix at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve


Doctorfish Acanthurus chirurgus
Occurs in the eastern and western Atlantic.


Image by @Otorongo at Acvariu Tulcea


Chronixis Surgeonfish Acanthurus chronixis
Little known. Colour in life unknown. Possibly endemic to Kapingamarangi Atoll.

No images on the ZooChat galleries. One image labelled as this species likely a misidentified A. pyroferus.


Atlantic Blue Tang Acanthurus coeruleus
Occurs in the western Atlantic. Also established in the Mediterranean since 2011. Juveniles similar in appearance to yellow morph juvenile A. pyroferus.


Image by @ThylacineAlive at New York Aquarium


Pencil Surgeonfish Acanthurus dussumieri
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific.


Image by @Therabu at Burgers’ Zoo


Horseshoe Surgeonfish Acanthurus fowleri
Occurs in the western Pacific.


Image by @vogelcomando at Tierparck Hagenbeck


Black Surgeonfish Acanthurus gahhm
Endemic to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.


Lower fish. Image by @Dormitator at Poznan Zoo (Old)


Inshore Surgeonfish Acanthurus grammoptilus
Occurs in northern Australia, New Caledonia and Fiji.


Image by @DaLilFishie at AQWA

 

[DaLilFishie]

Whitespotted Surgeonfish Acanthurus guttatus
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific. Also recorded from Florida in 2003 (presumably an artificial release).


Image by @Hix from Niue


Japan Surgeonfish Acanthurus japonicus
Occurs from Japan to the Philippines and Sulawesi. Hybridises with A. nigricans.


Image by @vogelcommando at Aqua Zoo Leerdam


White-spine Surgeonfish Acanthurus leucocheilus
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and in the western and central Pacific.


Image by @Rhino00 at Aqua Terra Zoo


Whitebar Surgeonfish Acanthurus leucopareius
Anti-equatorial distribution in the western and central Pacific.


Image by @Northwest_FIsh_Keeping at Seattle Aquarium


Powder Blue Tang Acanthurus leucosternon
Occurs in the Indian Ocean. Hybridises with A. nigricans, and more rarely, A. bariene.


Image by @Therabu at Burger’s Zoo


Bluelined Surgeonfish Acanthurus lineatus
Occurs in the Indian Ocean, western Pacific and Hawaii.


Image by @Hix in Christmas Island


Spotted-face Surgeonfish Acanthurus maculiceps
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific.

Image by @Rhino00 at Tierpark Berlin


Pale Surgeonfish Acanthurus mata
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific.


Image by @Maguari at Atlantis Aquarium Madrid


Mindoro Surgeonfish Acanthurus mindorensis
I can’t find any information about this species.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Monrovia Doctorfish Acanthurus monroviae
Occurs in the eastern Atlantic.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Velvet Surgeonfish Acanthurus nigricans
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and the western, central and eastern Pacific. Hybridises with A. japonicus, A. achilles and A. leucosternon.


Image by @Hix in Tokelau


Eyeline Surgeonfish Acanthurus nigricauda
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific.


Image by @wstefan at Aquarium of the Pacific

 

[DaLilFishie]

Dusky Surgeonfish Acanthurus nigrofuscus
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific.



Image from @vogelcommando at Coralandfishstore – Breda


Hawaiian Blueline Surgeonfish Acanthurus nigroris
Endemic to Hawaii and Johnston Atoll. A. nigros was split from this species.


Image by @Hix at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve


Greyhead Surgeonfish Acanthurus nigros
Occurs in the western and central Pacific. Split from A. nigroris.



Image by @Hix in Tokelau


Bluelined Surgeonfish Acanthurus nubilus
Occurs in the Western Pacific.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Orangeblotch Surgeonfish Acanthurus olivaceus
Occurs in the eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific. Adults can rapidly change colours from dark grey to beige and pale olive-green depending on mood, juveniles and young fish are yellow. Hybridises with A. tennenti.


Adult. Imag by @WhistlingKite24 from Sea World Gold Coast


Juvenile. Image by @vogelcommando at Brouwers Aquaria en vijver specialist, Roosendaal


Black-barred Surgeonfish Acanthurus polyzona
Occurs in the western Indian Ocean. Formerly considered a subspecies of A. triostegus.


Image by @vogelcommando at Zoo Duisburg


Pacific Mimic Tang Acanthurus pyroferus
Occurs in the eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific. Juveniles occur in two colour forms, one mimicking the Lemonpeel Angelfish Centropyge flavissima and the other mimicking the Pearlscale Angelfish Centropyge vrolikii.


Adult. Image by @Therabu at Oceanario de Lisboa


Juvenile mimicking Centropyge vrolikii. Image by @vogelcommando at Coralandfishstore – Breda


Juvenile mimicking Centropyge flavissima. Image by @ Hix in Tokelau


Marquesian Surgeonfish Acanthurus reversus
Endemic to the Marquesas Islands.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Hawaiian Convict Tang Acanthurus sandvicensis
Endemic to Hawaii and Johnston Atoll. Very recently split from A. triostegus, formerly considered a subspecies. Distinguishable from A. triostegus by a diagonal black line below the pectoral fin axil (in A. triostegus, marking below the pectoral fin axil may be one or two black spots, or absent).


Image by @Hix from Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve.

 

[DaLilFishie]

Sohal Surgeonfish Acanthurus sohal
Endemic to the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Arabian Peninsula. Reported from the Mediterranean, as Lessepsian migrants and/or aquarium releases.


Image by @vogelcommando from Meereszentrum Fehmarn


Lieutenant Surgeonfish Acanthurus tennenti
Occurs in the Indian Ocean. Hybridises with A. olivaceus.


Image by @RatioTile from Aquarium of the Pacific.


Night Surgeonfish Acanthurus thompsoni
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific. Caudal fin may be white or dark, FishBase notes this is based on geography (white in Pacific, dark in Indian Ocean), but iNaturalist observations of both colours in both oceans would suggest otherwise. The most basal member of the genus.


Image by @Hix from Christmas Island.


Caribbean Ocean Surgeonfish Acanthurus tractus
Occurs in the northwestern Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Split from A. bahianus. The two are distinguishable by the colour of the caudal fin margin – yellow in A. bahianus, white-blue in A. tractus.

Image by @biggiesmalls from North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences


Convict Tang Acanthurus triostegus
Occurs all throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans, except Hawaii and Johnston Atoll where it is replaced by the recently-split A. sandvicensis. A. sandvicensis and A. polyzona previously considered subspecies. Distinguishable from A. sandvicensis by lack of black diagonal band below pectoral fin axil. Has 0-2 black spots below pectoral fin axil depending on location.



Image by @Therabu from Zurich Zoo


Indian Ocean Mimic Tang Acanthurus tristis
Occurs in the eastern Indian Ocean. Juveniles mimic Eibl’s Angelfish Centropyge eibli.


Adult. Image by @Rhino00 at Zoo Olomouc


Juvenile. Image by @Prochilodus246 at Abyss Aquatic Warehouse


Yellowmask Surgeonfish Acanthurus xanthopterus
Occurs all throughout the Indian Ocean and Pacific.


Image by @Therabu at Burgers’ Zoo

 

[Hix]

While I realise there are multiple names for each fish in different parts of the world, and sometimes within the same area - and particularly with this family of fish - there are a few I have heard that I particularly like generally because they are descriptive:

A. guttatus - Surf Tang
A. lineatus - Striped Surgeonfish, Pajama Tang - also reputed to have the worst of the venoms.
A. nigricans - Goldrim Surgeonfish
Naso lituratus - Lipstick Tang



Hix

 

[DaLilFishie]

While I realise there are multiple names for each fish in different parts of the world, and sometimes within the same area - and particularly with this family of fish - there are a few I have heard that I particularly like generally because they are descriptive:

A. guttatus - Surf Tang
A. lineatus - Striped Surgeonfish, Pajama Tang - also reputed to have the worst of the venoms.
A. nigricans - Goldrim Surgeonfish
Naso lituratus - Lipstick Tang



Hix

Yeah, most species have more than one common name - I'm just using the 'default' name used by iNaturalist (with some aberrations to avoid confusion - eg. iNaturalist uses "Mimic Surgeonfish" for A. pyroferus, A. tristis and A. chronixis). I do like "Goldrim Surgeonfish" for A. nigricans, but that name is also used for A. japonicus and is too similar to "Goldring Surgeonfish" for Ctenochaetus strigosus. As much as I prefer the name "Clown Tang" for A. lineatus, I'm just going for consistency here

 

[DaLilFishie]

Genus Ctenochaetus – 9 species, 6 in the ZooChat galleries

Twospot Bristletooth Ctenochaetus binotatus
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific.


Image by @vogelcommando at Coralandfishstore- Breda


Yelloweye Bristletooth Ctenochaetus cyanocheilus
Occurs in the western Pacific.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Whitetail Bristletooth Ctenochaetus flavicauda
Occurs in the central Pacific.

No images in the ZooChat galleries


Hawaiian Bristletooth Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis
Despite the name, not endemic to Hawaii. Occurs in the central Pacific.


Adult. Image by @DaLilFishie at Tokyo Sea Life Park


Subadult. Image by @vogelcommando at Zoo Duisburg


Blue-spotted Bristletooth Ctenochaetus marginatus
Patchily distributed in the central and eastern Pacific.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Lined Bristletooth Ctenochaetus striatus
Widely distributed in the Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific.


Image by @vogelcommando at Meereszentrum Fehmarn


Goldring Surgeonfish Ctenochaetus strigosus
Endemic to Hawaii and Johnston Atoll


Image by @Hix at Waikiki Aquarium


Orange-tip Bristletooth Ctenochaetus tominiensis
Occurs in the western and central Pacific.


Image by @vogelcommando at Het Arsenaal Vlissingen


Indian Gold-ring Bristletooth Ctenochaetus truncatus
Occurs in the Indian Ocean.


Image by @vogelcommando at Busumer Meereswelten

 

[DaLilFishie]

Genus Naso – 20 species, 10 in the ZooChat galleries

Ringtail Unicornfish Naso annulatus
Occurs all across the Indian Ocean and Pacific.


Adult. Image from @KevinB at Pairi Daiza


Juvenile. Image from @vogelcommando at Brouwers Aquaria en vijver specialist, Roosendaal


Humpback Unicornfish Naso brachycentron
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific.


Image by @Sicarius from Nausicaa Sea Life Centre


Paletail Unicornfish Naso brevirostris
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific.


Image by @vogelcommando from Burgers’ Zoo


Blue Unicornfish Naso caeruleacauda
Occurs in the Philippines and Indonesia.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Grey Unicornfish Naso caesius
Occurs in the western and central Pacific.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Elegant Unicornfish Naso elegans
Occurs in the Indian Ocean east to at least Bali. Distinguished from the similar N. lituratus by yellow dorsal fin.


Image by @DaLilFishie from Sunshine Aquarium


Horseface Unicornfish Naso fageni
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Sleek Unicornfish Naso hexacanthus
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific.


Image by @Caribbean Flamingo


Pacific Orange-spine Unicornfish Naso lituratus
Occurs in the western and central Pacific. Distinguished from similar N. elegans by black rather than yellow dorsal fin.


Image by @Coelacanth18 at Birch Aquarium


Slender Unicornfish Naso lopezi
Occurs in the western Pacific.


Juvenile. Image by @vogelcommando at Coralandfishstore – Breda


Scribbled Unicornfish Naso maculatus
Antitropical distribution in the western Pacific.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Squarenose Unicornfish Naso mcdadei
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Blackspine Unicornfish Naso minor
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Reticulate Unicornfish Naso reticulatus
Occurs in the western Pacific.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Taiwanese Unicornfish Naso tergus
Occurs in Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Onespine Unicornfish Naso thynnoides
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Humpnose Unicornfish Naso tonganus
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific.


Image by @Hix from Cairns Aquarium


Humphead Unicornfish Naso tuberosus
Occurs at least in the Indian Ocean – it is unclear whether records from the western Pacific are truly this species or represent misidentifications of N. tonganus.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Bluespine Unicornfish Naso unicornis
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific.


Image by @Northwest_FIsh_Keeping at Seattle Aquarium

 

[DaLilFishie]

Bignose Unicornfish Naso vlamingii
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific.


Adult. Image by @Hix at Waikiki Aquarium


Juvenile. Image by @vogelcommando at Coralandfishstore - Breda

 

[DaLilFishie]

Genus Paracanthurus – 1 species, 1 in the ZooChat galleries

Regal Tang Paracanthurus hepatus
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific. Individuals from the Indian Ocean may occur in a yellow-bellied morph.


Image by @DaLilFishie from Dolphin Discover Centre


Yellow-bellied morph. Image by @Therabu from Oceanario de Lisboa


Juvenile. Image by @Northwest_FIsh_Keeping at Seattle Aquarium

 

[Hix]

The photo you've uploaded of A. hexacanthus is a bit dark; the three photos I uploaded some years ago from Christmas Island weren't much better. I've found three more that are a bit clearer and illustrate the white lowerlip, and one photo has a pair at a Cleaner station - one of them dark and the other partially pale. They should be the most recent uploads in the Christmas Island - Wildlife folder.



Hix

 

[DaLilFishie]

The photo you've uploaded of A. hexacanthus is a bit dark; the three photos I uploaded some years ago from Christmas Island weren't much better. I've found three more that are a bit clearer and illustrate the white lowerlip, and one photo has a pair at a Cleaner station - one of them dark and the other partially pale. They should be the most recent uploads in the Christmas Island - Wildlife folder.



Hix

Oh thanks!!

Sleek Unicornfish Naso hexacanthus
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific.

Image by @Hix from Christmas Island

 

[DaLilFishie]

Genus Prionurus – 6 species, 5 in the ZooChat galleries

Biafra Doctorfish Prionurus biafraensis
Occurs in the eastern Atlantic.

No images in the ZooChat galleries.


Indonesian Sawtail Prionurus chrysurus
Endemic to Indonesia. Thought to be a glacial relict which had a wider range in the past.


Image by @Caribbean Flamingo at Living World Alam Sutera


Razor Sawtail Prionurus laticlavius
Occurs in the eastern Pacific.


The yellow-tailed fish above the ray. Image by @KevinB from Rotterdam Zoo


Spotted Sawtail Prionurus maculatus
Occurs in southeastern Australia, New Zealand and associated islands.


Image by @WhistlingKite24 at Melbourne Aquarium


Australian Sawtail Prionurus microlepidotus
Endemic to eastern Australia and Lord Howe Island.


Image by @DaLilFishie at Sydney Aquarium

Scalpel Sawtail Prionurus scalprum
Occurs from Japan to Taiwan.


Image by @Hammerheadshark409 from Shinagawa Aquarium

 

[DaLilFishie]

Genus Zebrasoma – 7 species, 7 in the ZooChat galleries

Indian Sailfin Tang Zebrasoma desjardinii
Occurs in the Indian Ocean. Likely hybridises with Z. velifer.



Image by @Therabu at Den Bla Planet


Yellow Tang Zebrasoma flavescens
Occurs in the northwest Pacific and Hawaii. Has been reported from Florida, presumably as aquarium releases. Has been suggested to be conspecific with Z. scopas. Hybridises with Z. scopas.


Image by @DaLilFishie from Tokyo Sea Life Park


Gem Tang Zebrasoma gemmatum
Occurs in the western Indian Ocean. Hybridises with Z. scopas.


Image by @Therabu from Pairi Daiza


Black Tang Zebrasoma rostratum
Occurs in the central Pacific. A vagrant recorded in Hawaii. Hybridises with Z. scopas.


Image by @Jorbe at Marine Life Park


Juvenile. Image by @vogelcommando from Coralandfishstore - Breda


Brown Tang Zebrasoma scopas
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific. Has been suggested to be conspecific with Z. flavescens. Hybridises with Z. flavescens, Z. rostratum and Z. gemmatum.


Image by @DaLilFishie


Pacific Sailfin Tang Zebrasoma velifer (syn. Z. veliferum)
Occurs in the eastern Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific. Likely hybridises with Z. desjardinii.


Adult. Image by @KevinB at ZOO Antwerpen


Juvenile. Image by @vogelcommando at Brouwers Aquaria en vijver specialist, Roosendaal


Purple Tang Zebrasoma xanthurum
Occurs in the northwest Indian Ocean including the Red Sea, and strays to the Maldives. Also recorded from Sardinia as an aquarium release.


Image by @vogelcommando at Coralandfishstore - Breda

 

[Hix]

Oh thanks!!

Sleek Unicornfish Naso hexacanthus
Occurs in the Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific.

Image by @Hix from Christmas Island

@DaLilFishie You know you can edit your original posts for 24 hours after posting?



Hix

 

[Hix]

I've seen 43 members of this family in the wild:

1. Acanthurus achilles
2. A. bariene
3. A. blochii
4. A. dussumieri
5. A. grammoptilus
6. A. guttatus
7. A. leucocheilus
8. A. leucosternon
9. A. lineatus
10. A. leucopareius
11. A. maculiceps
12. A. mata
13. A. nigricauda
14. A. nigricans
15. A. nigros
16. A. nigroris
17. A. nigrofuscus
18. A. olivaceus
19. A. pyroferus
20. A. sandvicensis
21. A. tennanti
22. A. thompsoni
23. A. triostegus
24. A. tristis
25. A. xanthopterus

1. Ctenochaetus cyanocheilus
2. C. flavicauda
3. C. striatus
4. C. strigosus
5. C. truncatus

1. Naso brachycentron
2. N. brevirostris
3. N. elegantulus
4. N. hexacanthus
5. N. lituratus
6. N. tonganus
7. N. unicornis
8. N. vlamingii

1. Paracanthurus hepatus

1. Zebrasoma desjardinii
2. Z. flavescens
3. Z. scopas
4. Z. velliferum

plus the Acanthurus hybrids:

• achilles x nigricans
• nigricans x leucosternon
• tennanti x olivaceus

I've also seen in captivity:

• A. japonica
• A. sohal
• C. hawaiiensis
• C. tominiensis
• N. annulatus
• Z. xanthurum

Hix

 

[Hix]

Just added another.

Whitetail Bristletooth (Ctenochaetus flavicauda) - ZooChat



Hix

 

[DaLilFishie]

I've seen 43 members of this family in the wild:

1. Acanthurus achilles
2. A. bariene
3. A. blochii
4. A. dussumieri
5. A. grammoptilus
6. A. guttatus
7. A. leucocheilus
8. A. leucosternon
9. A. lineatus
10. A. leucopareius
11. A. maculiceps
12. A. mata
13. A. nigricauda
14. A. nigricans
15. A. nigros
16. A. nigroris
17. A. nigrofuscus
18. A. olivaceus
19. A. pyroferus
20. A. sandvicensis
21. A. tennanti
22. A. thompsoni
23. A. triostegus
24. A. tristis
25. A. xanthopterus

1. Ctenochaetus cyanocheilus
2. C. flavicauda
3. C. striatus
4. C. strigosus
5. C. truncatus

1. Naso brachycentron
2. N. brevirostris
3. N. elegantulus
4. N. hexacanthus
5. N. lituratus
6. N. tonganus
7. N. unicornis
8. N. vlamingii

1. Paracanthurus hepatus

1. Zebrasoma desjardinii
2. Z. flavescens
3. Z. scopas
4. Z. velliferum

plus the Acanthurus hybrids:

• achilles x nigricans
• nigricans x leucosternon
• tennanti x olivaceus

I've also seen in captivity:

• A. japonica
• A. sohal
• C. hawaiiensis
• C. tominiensis
• N. annulatus
• Z. xanthurum

Hix

I've seen 17 in the wild and another 22 in captivity:

Wild:
A. blochii
A. lineatus
A. mata
A. nigricauda
A. nigrifuscus
A. olivaceus
A. triostegus
A. xanthopterus
C. binotatus
C. striatus
N. annulatus
N. brevirostris
N. lituratus
N. unicornis
N. vlamingii
Z. scopas
Z. velifer

Captive:
A. coeruleus
A. dussumieri
A. grammoptilus
A. japonicus
A. leucopareius
A. leucosternon
A. nigricans
A. pyroferus
A. sohal
A. thompsoni
C. hawaiiensis
C. tominiensis
N. elegans
N. hexacanthus
N. tonganus
Pa. hepatus
Pr. maculatus
Pr. microlepidotus
Pr. scalprum
Z. desjardinii
Z. flavescens
Z. xanthurum

 

[Yoshistar888]

@DaLilFishie You know you can edit your original posts for 24 hours after posting?



Hix

It’s twenty four hours for premium members, one or two hours for regular members.