font settings and languages

Font Size: Large | Normal | Small
Font Face: Verdana | Geneva | Georgia
Languages:

Acanthurus coeruleus

(Blue tang surgeonfish)

Overview

[ Back to top ]

Inhabits coral reefs, inshore grassy or rocky areas. Forms small groups[1]. Mainly diurnal . Feeds entirely on algae (Ref. 5521). At Fernando de Noronha Archipelago in southwestern Atlantic, juveniles hold cleaning stations together with the doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus ) and sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis) and graze algae as well as pick molted skin and parasites from green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ). This behavior is preceded by a characteristic inspection usually followed by feeding nips on the turtle's skin (head , limbs, and tail), as well as on the carapace. The most inspected and cleaned body parts are the flippers[2]. The spine on both sides of the caudal peduncle may inflict painful wounds (Ref. 5217).

Interesting Facts

[ Back to top ]
 

Common Names

[ Back to top ]

Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Creole, French:

Siwizye, Sous-G, Sous-gé

Common Names in Creoles and Pidgins, French:

Siwizye, Sous-gé

Common Names in Danish:

Bl, Blå kirurgfisk

Common Names in English:

Blue barber, Blue doctor, Blue doctorfish, Blue tang, Blue tang surgeonfish, Blur tang, Yellow barber, yellow doctorfish

Common Names in French:

Chirurgien bayolle, Chirurgien bleu

Common Names in German:

Blauer Doktorfisch

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

蓝刺尾鱼, 藍刺尾魚, 黃刺尾魚, 黄刺尾鱼

Common Names in Papiamento:

Kleinfeshi Blou

Common Names in Polish:

Pokolec turkusowy

Common Names in Portuguese:

Acara, Acara-, Acara-úna, Acaraúna-azul, Acaraúna-preta, barbeiro, Barbeiro-azul, Peixe-Cirurgi, Peixe-cirurgião, Peixe-doutor

Common Names in Russian:

хирург синий

Common Names in Spanish:

Barbero, Barbero azul, Cirujano, cirujano azul, Doctor, Médico, Navaj, Navajero, Navajón, Navajón azul, Sangrador azul

Description

[ Back to top ]

Physical Description

Species Acanthurus coeruleus

Distinctive Features: The blue tang is a high-bodied, compressed , pancake-shaped fish with a pointed snout and small scales . The eye is located high on the head and the mouth is small and low on the head. The dorsal fin is continuous. Of particular interest is the distinct yellow caudal spine located at the base of the tail on either side of the body, a characteristic shared with other surgeonfish. This spine fits into a horizontal groove and can be extended and used to fend off aggressive encounters .

Adult blue tangs are deep blue to purplish-blue with a yellow caudal spine. The change from juvenile to intermediate to adult coloration is not size-dependent as some fish in the juvenile yellow phase may be larger than the adult blue phase.

Dentition: The close-set, spatulate teeth of the blue tang are well adapted for nipping , grazing, and browsing algae from the reef. There are 14 teeth on the upper jaw and 16 teeth on the lower jaw.

Color:

This fish has three color phases . In its juvenile phase, it is bright yellow, changing to a mixture of yellow and blue during adolescence. There may be blue crescents above and below the pupils of the eyes. It may be spotted with blue or have a yellow body and blue fins . As the fish matures into the intermediate phase, the color darkens to a bright blue or purplish-gray with a yellow caudal fin. Gray longitudinal lines are located in the flank region with blue dorsal and anal fins banded with orange-brown diagonal lines. The caudal spine is yellow to pale yellow or white. At night, blue tangs display white vertical stripes .

Size/Age/Growth

The blue tang reaches approximately 12 inches (30.5 cm) in length . The largest specimen, caught off the coast of South America, measured 14.4 inches (37 cm). It reaches sexual maturity at 9-12 months of age and lengths of 4-5 inches (11-13 cm). Males are commonly 25 cm (Total Length) in length when caught/marketed, but may be as large as 39 cm (Total Length).

Habitat

Tangs are found in coral reefs and inshore grassy or rocky areas at depths of 6-131 feet (2-40 m ). In coral reefs, blue tangs live in holes and crevices where they are sheltered from predators while they sleep at night. The blue tang lives singly, in pairs, or in small groups of up to 10 or 12 individuals, although occasionally it forms large aggregations that forage about the shallow reefs, grazing on algae. These aggregations sometimes include doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus) and other surgeonfish. The juvenile blue tang is rarely seen on the reef due to its small size and need for constant cover from predators. The intermediate phase with the blue body and yellow tail is often observed on reefs while young adults are abundant everywhere on the reef.

Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -5,107 meters (0 to -16,755 feet).[3]

Biome: Marine .

Biology

[ Back to top ]

Diet

Feeds entirely on algae. It grazes algae from rocky areas and browses filamentous algae, thereby avoiding large quantities of calcareous materials . Other surgeonfishes have heavier-walled, gizzard-like stomachs, and are capable of handling ingested sand and other calcareous materials. Blue tangs are important in keeping algae populations under control, preventing algae from overgrowing and suffocating corals .

Reproduction

Spawning occurs during late afternoon and evening hours. This event is indicated by a change in color from a uniform dark blue to a pale blue anterior and dark blue posterior. Males aggressively court female members of the school, leading to a quick upward spawning rush toward the surface of the water during which eggs and sperm are released. The eggs are small, approximately 0.8mm in diameter. The eggs are pelagic, each containing a single droplet of oil for flotation. The fertilized eggs hatch in twenty-four hours, revealing small, translucent larvae with silvery abdomens and rudimentary caudal spines.

The newly hatched larvae are referred to as acronurus because they were once thought to represent a separate genus of fish, Acronurus. The acronurus is diamond-shaped and laterally compressed , with a head shaped like a triangle. It has large eyes and prominent pectoral fins , and vertical ridges on the body. The dorsal fins, anal fins, and scales begin to develop when the acronurus reaches 2-6 mm in length . The caudal spine does not appear until the acronurus reaches about 13 mm in length. Late post-acronurus drift inshore , where they metamorphose into juveniles . The acronurus lose their silver color and turn brown, and their profiles become round . The prominent dorsal and anal spines that are characteristic of the acronurus reduce, and the snout elongates . Complete metamorphosis takes about a week, after which two-inch long juveniles settle onto the bottom of a suitable inshore habitat.

Behavior

Tuna , bar jack , tiger grouper, and other large carnivorous fishes are known predators of the blue tang .

Taxonomy

[ Back to top ]

Synonyms

Acanthurus brevis Poey • Acanthurus broussonnetii Desmarest • Acanthurus caeruleus • Acanthurus caeruleus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) • Acanthurus caeruleus (Bloch and Schneider • Acanthurus coerulus • Acanthurus coerulus Bloch & Schneider, 1801 • Acanthurus coerulus Bloch and Schneider • Acanthurus heliodes (Barbour • Acanthurus nigricans (Linnaeus • Acanthurus violaceus Castelnau • Acronurus caeruleatus Poey • Hepatus caeruleus (Bloch and Schneider • Hepatus pawnee Breder • Teuthis coeruleus (Bloch and Schneider • Teuthis helioides Barbour

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

First described: Bloch, M .E. and J.G. Schneider M.E. Blochii, systema ichthyologiae iconibus cx illustratum. Post obitum auctoris opus inchoatum absolvit, correxit, interpolavit Jo. Gottlob Schneider, Saxo. Berolini, Sumtibus Austoris Impressum et Bibliopolio Sanderiano Commissum: Berlin. 584 p., 1801.

Last scrutiny: Data last modified by FishBase 09-Jan-1998

Similar Species

[ Back to top ]

Members of the genus Acanthurus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 62 species and subspecies in this genus:

A. achilles (Red-Spotted Surgeonfish) · A. albipectoralis (Whitefin Surgeonfish) · A. auranticavus (Orange-Socket Surgeonfish) · A. bahianus (Ocean Surgeonfish) · A. bariene (Bariene Surgeonfish) · A. blochi (Ringtail Surgeonfish) · A. blochii (Blue-Banded Pualu) · A. caeruleus (Blue Tang Surgeonfish) · A. celebicus (Celebis's Surgeonfish) · A. chirurgus (Black Doctorfish) · A. chronixis (Chronixis Surgeonfish) · A. chrysosoma (Blue Tang Surgeonfish) · A. coeruleus (Blue Tang Surgeonfish) · A. crestonis (Barbero Negro) · A. dussumieri (Dussumier's Surgeonfish) · A. nigroris (Elongate Surgeon) · A. flavescens (Yellow Sailfin Tang) · A. fowleri (Fowler´s Surgeonfish) · A. fowleriinde (Fowler's Surgeon) · A. nigrofuscus (Ringtailed Surgeonfish) · A. fuscus (Black-Barred Surgeonfish) · A. gahhm (Black Surgeonfish) · A. gahm nigricauda (Black-Barred Surgeonfish) · A. gemmatus (Gem Surgeonfish) · A. glaucopareius (Whitefaced Surgeonfish) · A. grammoptilus (Finelined Surgeonfish) · A. guttatus (White-Spotted Surgeonfish) · A. japonicus (Japan Surgeonfish) · A. pyroferus (Powder-Blue Surgeonfish) · A. leucocheilus (Pale-Lipped Surgeonfish) · A. leucopareius (Whitethroated Surgeonfish) · A. leucosternon (Blue Surgeonfish) · A. lineatus (Blue-Lined Squirrelfish) · A. lituratus (Striped-Faced Unicornfish) · A. maculiceps (Yellow-Freckled Surgeon Fish) · A. mata (Bleeker's Surgeonfish) · A. monroviae (Monrovia Doctorfish) · A. nigricans (Black Surgeonfish) · A. nigricauda (Black-Barred Surgeonfish) · A. nigrofuscus (Spot-Cheeked Surgeonfish) · A. nigroris (Bluelined Surgeonfish) · A. nubilus (Bluelined Surgeonfish) · A. olivaceus (Gendarme Fish) · A. polyzona (Black-Barred Surgeonfish) · A. pyroferus (Chocolate Surgeonfish) · A. randalli (Gulf Surgeonfish) · A. rostratus (Longnose Surgeonfish) · A. scopas (Brown Sailfish Surgeonfish) · A. sohal (Red Sea Clown Surgeon) · A. striatus (Bristle-Toothed Surgeonfish) · A. strigosus (Slender-Toothed Surgeonfish) · A. tennenti (Lieutenant Surgeonfish) · A. tennentii (Double-Whip Butterfly-Bream) · A. thompsoni (Thompson´s Surgeonfish) · A. tractus (Fiveband Surgeonfish) · A. triostegus (Fiveband Surgeonfish) · A. triostegus triostegus (Fiveband Surgeonfish) · A. tristis (Blackcheek Surgeonfish) · A. velifer (Pacific Sail-Fin Surgeonfish) · A. vittatus (Yellowtail Sailfin Tang) · A. xanthopterus (Ring-Tailed Surgeonfish) · A. zebra (Eel Loach)

More Info

[ Back to top ]

Further Reading

[ Back to top ]

Notes

[ Back to top ]

Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 09, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Coupal, L., E. Bédard, C. Peguero and I.S. Durante (1992). Repertorio ictionímici de la República Dominicana. Fáscículo I : Acanthuridae - Carangidae. LIRD. [back]
  2. "Ageratina lemmonii". in Flora of North America Vol. 21 Page 548, 551. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. Mean = -1,573.030 meters (-5,160.860 feet), Standard Deviation = 1,593.040 based on 173 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 7/15/2012