Reef Aquarium Species Codexery

Regal blue tang

A popular Indo-Pacific surgeonfish with a royal blue body and yellow tail.

Last updated

It is known by many common names including regal blue tang, palette surgeonfish, and hippo tang.[1][2] The species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN.[1][2] The Indo-Pacific surgeonfish Paracanthurus hepatus is the only species classified under the genus Paracanthurus.[3]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderAcanthuriformes
  6. FamilyAcanthuridae
  7. GenusParacanthurus
  8. SpeciesParacanthurus hepatus

Named by (Linnaeus, 1766)

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Paracanthurus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 219676 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2012

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

Where the regal blue tang has been recorded

Where the regal blue tang has been recorded163 mapped locations from 1,318 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Indian Ocean, Pacific OceanIndian OceanPacific Ocean

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (1,318 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 42 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Quick Facts

Scientific name
Paracanthurus hepatus
Family
Acanthuridae
Habitat
Coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, algal beds, rocky reefs; depth 2–40 m / 6.56–131 ft
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)
Length at first maturity
149.2 mm / 5.87 in

Facts from the source article.

Biology and range

The fish has a compressed, elliptical body shape and a terminal snout.[4] It occupies marine neritic habitats, primarily coral reefs, from 2 to 40 meters depth.[5][1] Juveniles feed mainly on plankton, while adults are omnivorous, eating zooplankton and algae.[6] Spawning occurs year-round with a peak between April and September, indicated by a color change to pale blue.[7]

A black "palette" pattern, a yellow tail, and a royal blue body are the color features of Paracanthurus hepatus.[8] Males tend to be larger than females, and adult specimens usually have a mass of about 600 g.[8] A spine sits inside a shallow groove on the caudal peduncle.[4]

What the specialist sources record

According to the Animal Diversity Web, juveniles are bright yellow with blue spots near their eyes, becoming blue as they mature.[9] The Oceana account states that the fish has a venomous spine on its tail used for defense.[10] The Animal Diversity Web describes that under stress, the blue coloration deepens.[9] Oceana notes that destructive fishing practices and collection for the pet trade pose threats.[10]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Paracanthurus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Palette Surgeonfish", IUCN Redlist, 7 May 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. July 2016, "Facts About Regal Blue Tangs", livescience.com, 2016-07-09. facts only, no text reused. livescience.com
  3. Wikipedia, "Paracanthurus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Paracanthurus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Randall, "A Revision of the Surgeon Fish Genera Zebrasoma and Paracanthurus", Pacific Science, 1955, p. 396–412; Randall, "A Revision of the Surgeon Fish Genera Zebrasoma and Paracanthurus", Pacific Science, 1955, p. 396–412; Guisau, "Osteological Evidence for the Phylogeny of Recent Genera of Surgeonfishes (Percomorpha, Acanthuridae).", Copeia, 1993, p. 300–312; Guisau, "Osteological Evidence for the Phylogeny of Recent Genera of Surgeonfishes (Percomorpha, Acanthuridae).", Copeia, 1993, p. 300–312; Randall, "A Revision of the Surgeon Fi en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Paracanthurus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Goda, "The Blue Coloration of the Common Surgeonfish, Paracanthurus hepatus - II. Color Revelation and Color Changes", Zoological Science, 1998, p. 323–333; Marcelli, "Finding dory: First record of paracanthurus hepatus (perciformes: Acanthuridae) in the Mediterranean Sea.", Marine Biodiversity, 2016, p. 599–602; "Palette Surgeonfish", IUCN Redlist, 7 May 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Paracanthurus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Blue Tang", Oceana; "Paracanthurus hepatus (Flagtail surgeonfish)", Animal Diversity Web (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Paracanthurus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sang, "Reproductive biology of blue tang fish (Paracanthurus hepatus Linnaeus, 1776) in Khanh Hoa seawater, Viet Nam.", Indian Journal of Geo Marine Sciences, 2018, p. 839–845; "Palette Surgeonfish", IUCN Redlist, 7 May 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Paracanthurus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sang, "Reproductive biology of blue tang fish (Paracanthurus hepatus Linnaeus, 1776) in Khanh Hoa seawater, Viet Nam.", Indian Journal of Geo Marine Sciences, 2018, p. 839–845; "Facts About Regal Blue Tangs", Live Science, 9 July 2016; Randall, "A Revision of the Surgeon Fish Genera Zebrasoma and Paracanthurus", Pacific Science, 1955, p. 396–412 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. "Paracanthurus hepatus (Flagtail surgeonfish)", Animal Diversity Web. facts only, no text reused. animaldiversity.org
  10. "Blue Tang", Oceana. facts only, no text reused. oceana.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Paracanthurus (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Acanthurus

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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