''Acanthurus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Acanthuridae 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 aq ...

found in the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

and

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. They are found in tropical oceans, especially near

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

s, with most

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

but a few are found in the Atlantic Ocean. As other members of the family, they have a pair of spines, one on either side of the base of the

tail The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, r ...

which are dangerously sharp.

Species

There are currently 41 recognized species in this genus: * ''

Acanthurus achilles ''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 reaching a maximum of at adulthood. ''Acanthurus achilles'' are b ...

'' G. Shaw, 1803 (Achilles surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus albimento The whitechin surgeonfish (''Acanthurus albimento'') is a species of fish in the family Acanthuridae. It was described by Kent E. Carpenter, Jeffrey Taylor Williams and Mudjekeewis Dalisay Santos in 2017. It is a tropical fish which inhabits re ...

'' K. E. Carpenter,

J. T. Williams J. T. Williams was an American football coach. He was the fifth head football coach at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky Frankfort is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States, and the seat of Frank ...

& M. D. Santos, 2017 (White-chin surgeonfish)Carpenter, K.E., Williams, J.T. & Santos, M.D. (2017)
''Acanthurus albimento'', a new species of surgeonfish (Acanthuriformes: Acanthuridae) from northeastern Luzon, Philippines, with comments on zoogeography.
''Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation, 25: 33–46.'' * ''

Acanthurus albipectoralis ''Acanthurus albipectoralis'' (whitefin surgeonfish) is a marine reef tang in the fish family Acanthuridae Acanthuridae are the family of surgeonfishes, tangs, and unicornfishes. The family includes about 86 extant species of marine fish li ...

'' G. R. Allen & Ayling, 1987 (White-fin surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus auranticavus ''Acanthurus auranticavus'', is a tropical fish with the common names orange-socket surgeonfish and ring-tail surgeon. It was named by Randall in 1956.Page 24, ''Surgeonfishes of the world'', by John E. Randall. Mutual Pub., 2001. / Description ...

'' J. E. Randall, 1956 (Orange-socket surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus bahianus The ocean surgeon or ocean surgeonfish (''Acanthurus bahianus'') is a tropical fish known to live in reefs in the western Atlantic Ocean, especially the Caribbean Sea. It is sometimes marketed fresh as a food item,Baensch, H.A. and H. Debelius ( ...

'' Castelnau, 1855 (Barber surgeonfish) * '' Acanthurus bariene'' Lesson, 1831 (Black-spot surgeonfish) * '' Acanthurus blochii''

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...

, 1835 (Ring-tail surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus chirurgus ''Acanthurus chirurgus'', commonly called doctorfish or doctorfish tang in English and ''barbero rayado'' or ''cirujano rayado'' in Spanish, is a tropical marine fish common in the Atlantic Ocean. Description Reaching a maximum size of and , ''A ...

'' (

Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A–F * (1859-1914), French rabbi *Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881-1925), Austrian entrepreneur *Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter * (born 1972), German motor journal ...

, 1787) (Doctorfish tang) * '' Acanthurus chronixis'' J. E. Randall, 1960 (Chronixis surgeonfish) * '' Acanthurus coeruleus''

& J. G. Schneider, 1801 (Atlantic blue tang) * ''

Acanthurus dussumieri ''Acanthurus dussumieri'', commonly known as Dussumier's surgeonfish, the eye-stripe surgeonfish or the ornate surgeonfish, is a ray-finned fish from the Indo-Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a maximum ...

, 1835 (Eye-stripe surgeonfish) * '' Acanthurus fowleri'' de Beaufort, 1951 (Fowler's surgeonfish) * '' Acanthurus gahhm'' ( Forsskål, 1775) (Black surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus grammoptilus ''Acanthurus grammoptilus'' is a tropical fish which is found in the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Austra ...

'' J. Richardson, 1843 (Fine-lined surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus guttatus ''Acanthurus guttatus'' (whitespotted surgeonfish) is a marine reef tang in the fish family Acanthuridae. It is found in shallow waters on reefs in the Indo-Pacific. Description The whitespotted surgeonfish is deep-bodied and laterally compress ...

'' J. R. Forster, 1801 (White-spotted surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus japonicus ''Acanthurus japonicus'' is a tang from the Indo-West Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 21 cm in length. It is also known as Japan surgeonfish, white-faced surgeonfish, gold rim tang, powder ...

'' ( P. J. Schmidt, 1931) (Japan surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus leucocheilus ''Acanthurus leucocheilus'' is a tropical fish also known as the palelipped surgeonfish or the white-spine surgeonfish. It is used commercially in aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having ...

'' Herre, 1927 (Pale-lipped surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus leucopareius ''Acanthurus leucopareius'' is a sub-tropical fish known commonly as the whitebar surgeonfish or the head-band surgeonfish. It is somewhat commercial in fisheries and is used in aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') i ...

'' ( O. P. Jenkins, 1903) (White-bar surgeonfish) * '' Acanthurus leucosternon'' E. T. Bennett, 1833 (Powder-blue surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus lineatus ''Acanthurus lineatus'', the lined surgeonfish, is a member of the family Acanthuridae, the surgeonfishes. Other common names include blue banded surgeonfish, blue-lined surgeonfish, clown surgeonfish, pyjama tang, striped surgeonfish, and zeb ...

'' ( Linnaeus,

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the sta ...

) (Lined surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus maculiceps ''Acanthurus maculiceps'' is a tang from the Indo-West Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on defin ...

'' ( C. G. E. Ahl, 1923) (White-freckled surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus mata ''Acanthurus mata'' is a marine tropical fish belonging to the family of the Acanthuridae or surgeonfishes. Its common names are elongate surgeonfish and blue-lined surgeonfish. Description It is a medium sized fish that can reach a maximum siz ...

'' (

G. Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...

, 1829) (Elongate surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus monroviae The Monrovia doctorfish (Acanthurus monroviae) is present in the tropical eastern Atlantic Ocean from southern Morocco to Angola, including the Canary islands, Cape Verde and Gulf of Guinea. It has been observed, but rarely, in the Mediterranean ...

Steindachner Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner describ ...

, 1876 (Monrovia surgeonfish) * '' Acanthurus nigricans'' ( Linnaeus,

) (White-cheek surgeonfish) * '' Acanthurus nigricauda'' Duncker & Mohr ( de), 1929 (Epaulette surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus nigrofuscus ''Acanthurus nigrofuscus'', also known as the lavender tang, brown tang, or spot-cheeked surgeonfish, is a tang from the Indo-Pacific and Hawaii. It commonly makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to 21 cm in length. Recently, a hu ...

'' ( Forsskål, 1775) (Brown surgeonfish) * '' Acanthurus nigroris''

, 1835 (Blue-lined surgeonfish) * '' Acanthurus nigros'' Günther, 1861 (Grey-head surgeonfish)Randall, J.E., DiBattista, J.D. & Wilcox, C. (2011): ''Acanthurus nigros'' Günther, a Valid Species of Surgeonfish, Distinct from the Hawaiian ''A. nigroris'' Valenciennes. ''Pacific Science, 65 (2): 265–275.'' * '' Acanthurus nubilus'' ( Fowler & B. A. Bean, 1929) (Pin-striped surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus olivaceus ''Acanthurus olivaceus'', also known as the orange-band surgeonfish, the orange-shoulder surgeonfish or the orangebar tang, is a member of the family Acanthuridae, the surgeonfishes. It lives in the tropical waters of the Indo-west Pacific. De ...

& J. G. Schneider, 1801 (Orange-spot surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus polyzona ''Acanthurus polyzona'', commonly known as the black-barred surgeonfish or zebra tang, is a tropical fish found in coral reefs in the western Indian Ocean. It was first described in 1868 by the Dutch ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker, who gave it the ...

'' (

Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Acanthurus pyroferus ''Acanthurus pyroferus'', chocolate surgeonfish, mimic surgeonfish, orange-gilled surgeonfish, Pacific mimic surgeon, and yellowspot surgeon, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the Family (biology), family Acanthuridae, which inc ...

'' Kittlitz, 1834 (Chocolate surgeonfish) * '' Acanthurus randalli'' J. C. Briggs & D. K. Caldwell, 1957 * '' Acanthurus reversus'' J. E. Randall & Earle, 1999 * ''

Acanthurus sohal The sohal surgeonfish (''Acanthurus sohal'') or sohal tang, is an endemic from the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. A single record was reported in 2017 from the eastern Mediterranean Sea, a likely result of aquarium release. It can grow up to 16 in (40& ...

'' ( Forsskål, 1775) (Sohal surgeonfish) * '' Acanthurus tennentii'' Günther, 1861 (Double-band surgeonfish) * '' Acanthurus thompsoni'' ( Fowler, 1923) (Thompson's surgeonfish) * '' Acanthurus tractus'' F. Poey, 1860 (Ocean surgeonfish)Bernal, M.A. & Rocha, L.A. (2011)
''Acanthurus tractus'' Poey, 1860, a valid western Atlantic species of surgeonfish (Teleostei, Acanthuridae), distinct from ''Acanthurus bahianus'' Castelnau, 1855.
''Zootaxa, 2905: 63–68.'' * ''

Acanthurus triostegus ''Acanthurus triostegus'', also known as the convict tang, convict surgeonfish, or manini, is a small surgeonfish in family Acanthuridae of the order Perciformes. It is typically about long, but some individuals may reach 27 cm. These ta ...

'' ( Linnaeus,

) (Convict surgeonfish) * '' Acanthurus tristis'' J. E. Randall, 1993 (Indian Ocean mimic surgeonfish) * ''

Acanthurus xanthopterus ''Acanthurus xanthopterus'', the yellowfin surgeonfish yellowmask surgeonfish, ringtail surgeonfish or Cuvier's surgeonfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae which includes the surgeonfishes, unicornfishe ...

, 1835 (Yellow-fin surgeonfish)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q648200 Acanthuridae Marine fish genera Taxa named by Peter Forsskål