Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes
(Perch-likes) > Acanthuridae
(Surgeonfishes, tangs, unicornfishes) > Acanthurinae
Etymology: Acanthurus: Greek, akantha = thorn + Greek, oura = tail (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Marine; reef-associated; depth range ? - 20 m (Ref. 48637), usually 5 - 15 m (Ref. 27115). Tropical; 24°C - 28°C (Ref. 27115)
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 21.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9710)
soft rays: 26 - 29. A broad white band extending from lower edge of eye to upper lip. A bright orange band in outer part of soft portion of dorsal fin. Caudal peduncle yellow, shading to black a short distance anteriorly. Base of pectoral fins yellow (Ref 9808).
Indo-West Pacific: Sulawesi (Indonesia) to Philippines and Ryukyu Islands.
In clear lagoon and seaward reefs, usually in shallow exposed areas. Found in small to large aggregations (Ref. 48637). Sometimes solitary (Ref. 90102).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Lieske, E. and R. Myers, 1994. Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p. (Ref. 9710)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 96402)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Threat to humans
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningFecundityEggsEgg development
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.02188 (0.01048 - 0.04565), b=2.97 (2.80 - 3.14), based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245
Resilience (Ref. 69278
): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Low vulnerability (11 of 100) .