Reef Aquarium Species Codexery

Yellow tang

Bright yellow Pacific reef fish popular in marine aquariums.

Last updated

The yellow tang is a marine ray-finned fish in the family Acanthuridae, also known as the lemon sailfin or somber surgeonfish.[1] This Pacific reef fish is bright yellow and ranks among the most sought-after species for saltwater aquariums.[1]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderAcanthuriformes
  6. FamilyAcanthuridae
  7. GenusZebrasoma
  8. SpeciesZebrasoma flavescens

Named by (E. T. Bennett, 1828)

Close relatives

Other species of Zebrasoma with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Yellow tang (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 219683 (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

How big is it?

Size comparison: Yellow tang and a personA 0.2 m long yellow tang drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.2 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.2 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Yellow tang

Where the yellow tang has been recorded

Where the yellow tang has been recorded25 mapped locations from 9,778 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Pacific Ocean, Riviera MayaPacific OceanRiviera Maya

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (9,778 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 8 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)

Biology and range

Adult fish can grow to 20 cm in length.[2] It is commonly found in shallow reefs from 2 to 46 m deep in the Pacific Ocean.[3] Spawning happens throughout the year and peaks around the time of a full moon.[1] In 1828, English naturalist Edward Turner Bennett provided the first formal description of the yellow tang, assigning it the scientific name Acanthurus flavescens based on specimens collected in the Hawaiian Islands.[4]

The Latin adjective flavescens, meaning "yellow," was chosen as the species name to describe the fish's coloration.[4] Male yellow tangs reach a larger adult size compared to females.[2] A white spine located on the caudal peduncle serves as a defensive structure for the yellow tang.[1] Filamentous algae constitute the primary food source for the yellow tang, which is predominantly herbivorous.[5]

Yellow tang larvae are capable of dispersing over distances exceeding 100 miles, allowing them to repopulate reefs far from their origin.[6]

What the specialist sources record

The Animal Diversity Web account notes that yellow tangs have a white, scalpel-like spine on both sides of the tail used for defense or aggression.[7] The National Aquarium in Baltimore states that the yellow tang primarily feeds on algae and typically grows to about 7 inches long.[8] A 2010 ScienceDaily article reports that marine ecologists at Oregon State University showed fish larvae can drift with ocean currents and reseed fish stocks more than 100 miles away.[9] The Animal Diversity Web account says that yellow tangs are diurnal and during the day move from place to place grazing on algae.[7]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Yellow tang" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Zebrasoma flavescens, Yellow tang: aquarium", www.fishbase.de (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Yellow tang" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Learn All About the Yellow Tang Fish", The Spruce Pets (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Yellow tang" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Zebrasoma flavescens, Yellow tang: aquarium", www.fishbase.de; "Field Guide to the Nonindigenous Marine Fishes of Florida", Maroon Ebooks, 28 January 2015, p. 6– (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Yellow tang" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 2): Families EPHIPPIDAE, LEIOGNATHIDAE, SCATOPHAGIDAE, ANTIGONIIDAE, SIGANIDAE, CAPROIDAE, LUVARIDAE, ZANCLIDAE and ACANTHURIDAE", The ETYFish Project, 2020-07-21 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Yellow tang" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Zebrasoma flavescens, Yellow tang: aquarium", www.fishbase.de; "National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland"; "Zebrasoma flavescens (Lemon sailfin)", Animal Diversity Web (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Yellow tang" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Christie, "Larval Connectivity in an Effective Network of Marine Protected Areas", PLOS ONE, 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. "Zebrasoma flavescens (Lemon sailfin)", Animal Diversity Web. facts only, no text reused. animaldiversity.org
  8. "National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland". facts only, no text reused. aqua.org
  9. Drifting Fish Larvae Allow Marine Reserves to Rebuild Fisheries ScienceDaily , 26 December 2010.. facts only, no text reused. sciencedaily.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Yellow tang (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.

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. What is the scientific name of the yellow tang?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Zebrasoma flavescens.

From the source: “The yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens), also known as the lemon sailfin, yellow sailfin tang or somber surgeonfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae which includes the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes”

2. In what year was the yellow tang first scientifically described?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1828.

From the source: “The yellow tang was first formally described by English naturalist Edward Turner Bennett as Acanthurus flavescens in 1828 from a collection in the Hawaiian Islands.”

3. What is the IUCN Red List category of the yellow tang?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Least Concern.

From the source: “The yellow tang is listed as "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).”

Answers checked against the source article

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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