Acanthuridae

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Surgeonfish)

Surgeonfish
Temporal range: Eocene to Recent
Sohal surgeonfish, Acanthurus sohal. The orange mark on the tail peduncle shows where the spine is folded in.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Acanthuriformes
Family: Acanthuridae
Bonaparte, 1832[1]
Genera
Acanthurus achilles, from genus Acanthurus
Paracanthurus hepatus, a poison fish.

Acanthuridae is the family of surgeonfish, tangs, and unicornfish.

The family includes about 86 living species. It is made up of marine fish living in tropical seas, usually around coral reefs. Many of the species are brightly colored and popular for aquaria.

One of the characteristics of this family is that they have spines on the tail (also known as "thorn tail").[2]

Morphology[change | change source]

Surgeonfish have dangerously sharp spines and can slash a person, causing serious injury. Most species of the family are of small size, between 15-40 cm (6-15 in), but the genera Prionorus or Naso can be larger. The whitemargin unicornfish is the largest species in the family.

Classification[change | change source]

  • Subfamily Nasinae Fowler & Bean, 1929
    • Genus Naso Lacépède, 1801
  • Subfamily Acanthurinae Bonaparte, 1835
    • Tribe Acanthurini Bonaparte, 1839
      • Genus Acanthurus Forsskål 1775
      • Genus Ctenochaetus Gill, 1884
    • Tribe Prionurini J. L. B. Smith, 1966
      • Genus Prionurus Lacépède, 1804
    • Tribe Zebrasomini Winterbottom, 1993

Extinct genera[change | change source]

Acanthuridae includes several extinct genera:

Eocene genera[change | change source]

Oligocene genera[change | change source]

Miocene genera[change | change source]

In the aquarium[change | change source]

Tangs are very sensitive to disease in the home aquarium. It is necessary to quarantine the fishes before introducing them to the aquarium.

References[change | change source]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Acanthuridae.
  1. ↑ "Institute for Biodiversity Science & Sustainability | California Academy of Sciences". Research.calacademy.org. July 27, 2014. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  2. ↑ Froese, R.; Pauly, D. (February 2022). "FAMILY Details for Acanthuridae - Surgeonfishes, tangs, unicornfishes". www.fishbase.se. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.

Other websites[change | change source]

Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Acanthuridae&oldid=9430733"