Regal tangfish
(Paracanthurus hepatus)
Facts
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IUCN LEAST CONCERN (LC)
Facts about this animal
The palette surgeonfish is the only member of its genus. It reaches a total length of 31 cm. It has an anterolateral glandular groove with a venom gland venom gland.
Palette surgeonfish feed exclusively on algae
Did you know?
that most coral fish species have a plethora of common names? E.g. English names of Paracanthurus hepatus are:palette surgeonfish, blue tang, hippo tang, wedge-tailed tang, wedgetail blue tang, flagtail surgeonfish or blue surgeonfish.
| Factsheet | |
|---|---|
| Class | ACTINOPTERYGII |
| Order | PERCIFORMES |
| Suborder | ACANTHUROIDEI |
| Family | ACANTHURIDAE |
| Name (Scientific) | Paracanthurus hepatus |
| Name (English) | Regal tangfish |
| Name (French) | Chirurgien bleu |
| Name (German) | Paletten-Doktorfisch |
| Name (Spanish) | Pez cirujano azul |
| Local names | Bahasa Indonesia: Leter enam kecil |
| CITES Status | Not listed |
| CMS Status | Not listed |
Photo Copyright by
Tewy
Distribution
| Distribution | |
|---|---|
| Range | Indian Ocean from the coast of East Africa and the Mascarene Islands to the Pacific as far east as Kiribati, north to southern Japan, south to the southern Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia, and Samoa. |
| Habitat | Coral reefs from surface to 40 m depth. |
| Wild population | Unknown |
| Zoo population | Considering that most publc aquaria are not part of the WAZA system and do not register their collections with ISIS, available ISIS data are not significant. |
In the Zoo
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How this animal should be transported
For air transport, Container Note 51 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.
Fish must be unpacked carefully and under low illumination.
Find this animal on ZooLex
Photo Copyright by
Vladimír Motyčka
Why do zoos keep this animal
Regal tangfish are not an endangered species but their habitats, coral reefs, are threatened in many places. They are thus presented by zoos and aquariums as an ambassador species for reef protection.