Bony Skeleton Fish

 

Species: *Yellow-Tailed Blue Tang

 Paracanthurus hepatus

Size Appearance and Diet Habitat, Habits and Characteristics
How big are they? (Maximum length)
bulletup to 20 to 31 cm
bullet(12" in the wild; 6" in captivity)

Other Names

bulletHippo or Palette Surgeon.
bulletYellow-Tail Blue Tang
bulletRegal, or Flagtail Surgeonfish


What do they look like? (Appearance)

bulletBlue body
bulletBlack markings on side
bulletYellow tail lined in black
bulletDorsal fin runs length of body
bulletA blade on both sides of the caudal peduncle
bulletVenomous fin spines.

 

What do they eat? (Diet)

bulletheribivore as a juvenile
bulletomnivore as an adult
bulleteat zooplankton and algae

How long do they live?  8 years or more in captivity

Breeding? Egg-scatterer

Classification:  

Surgeonfishes
Yellow-Tailed Blue Tang
 
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family:  Acanthuridea
Genus: Paracanthurus
species:  hepatus
Binomial name

 Paracanthurus hepatus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Where do they live?

 Range: Widely throughout Indo-West Pacific

Indo Pacific: East Africa to the Line Islands; north to southern Japan, south to the southern Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia, and Samoa.

Throughout Micronesia. Also known from Gilbert Islands (Kiribati);Mariana Islands (Ref. 2334) and Mascarene Islands .

In Australia it occurs on nearly the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.

Marine: Temperatures

Habitat

bulletIsolated coral heads on exposed seaward reefs

Picture from FishBase* Public Domain Drawings by Robert Cada.


How deep in the ocean are they found?

bullet(Zone) sunlit

Characteristics

bulletLives singly or in small schools
bulletwhen alarmed, hide themselves tightly among the coral branches
bulletFavored for saltwater aquaria.

What is their Endangerment Status?

bulletNot on Red List (Unthreatened)

Sources:

A Guide to the Coastal Resources of Guam

Australian Fish Museum Site

Malawi Cichlid Homepage

Tropical Resources

* Picture from: Australian Museum Fish Site

Want more information? See: Reefkeeping

 Search Fish Base Quote from Fishbase Site: "Drawings done by former FishBase artist Robbie Cada are public domain and can be used freely, however, we would appreciate a proper indication of the source."

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