Acanthuridae
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| Surgeonfish Temporal range: Eocene to Recent
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| Sohal surgeonfish, Acanthurus sohal. The orange mark on the tail peduncle shows where the spine is folded in. | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acanthuriformes |
| Family: | Acanthuridae Bonaparte, 1832[1] |
| Genera | |
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]
Size[change | change source]
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.
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel (eds) 2007. Acanthuridae in FishBase. [1]
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Paracanthurus hepatus, a poison fish.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Acanthuridae. |