''Acanthurus achilles'', commonly known as Achilles tang or Achilles surgeonfish, is a tropical marine fish native to the Pacific Ocean.

Description

They are a medium

surgeonfish Acanthuridae are the family of surgeonfishes, tangs, and unicornfishes. The family includes about 86 extant species of marine fish living in tropical seas, usually around coral reefs. Many of the species are brightly colored and popular in ...

reaching a maximum of at adulthood. ''Acanthurus achilles'' are black with striking orange and white lining along the fish's fins and tail. When the fish matures, a prominent orange drop shape develops on the

caudal Caudal may refer to: Anatomy * Caudal (anatomical term) (from Latin ''cauda''; tail), used to describe how close something is to the trailing end of an organism * Caudal artery, the portion of the dorsal aorta of a vertebrate that passes into the ...

area, terminating into a ''sharp'' spine.

Diet

The Achilles tang is herbivorous, eating mostly

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

. They will also accept frozen and meaty foods such as brine shrimp and mysis shrimp in captivity. As with all surgeonfish, algae or similar vegetable matter should be included in their dietary intake to moderate aggression and regulate metabolic functions.

Distribution and habitat

It is found in various reefs of Oceania, up to the islands of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and

Pitcairn The Pitcairn Islands (; Pitkern: '), officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, is a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four isl ...

. The fish is also, although less commonly, found in the

Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

and even some reefs in southern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

References

External links

Achilles Tang care sheet at FishGeeks
{{Taxonbar, from=Q340279 Acanthuridae Acanthurus Fauna of the Pitcairn Islands Fish of Mexican Pacific coast Fish of Hawaii Fish described in 1803 Fish of Guatemala