THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

Reproduction and Development: External
fertilization. Open water/substratum egg
scatterers. Adults do not guard eggs. Males
mature at 11 cm, females at 13 cm.
Remarks: Adults can quickly change color
from powder blue to deep purple, or become
paler or darker.
Eyestripe Surgeonfish
Acanthurus dussumieri (Acanthuridae)
Surgeonfishes, Tangs, and Unicornfishes
Distribution: Indo-Pacific: from East Africa to
Hawaii and the eastern Central Pacific. Also
from southwest Japan to the Great Barrier Reef.
Absent from most of the Central Pacific.
Habitat: Adults are found mainly on deep
coastal reef slopes and outer reef walls, often on
deep shipwrecks. Depth ranges from 4–130 m.
Appearance: Bluish to brownish body with
horizontal line markings; yellow stripe through
eye, blue tail with numerous black spots; white
caudal spine with the socket edged in black.
Typically seen as a solitary fish but may also
occur in small groups. Max. size: 50 cm.
Diet: Grazes algae from reefs and sand.
Reproduction and Development: Reported to
be a pair spawner; eggs are small and pelagic.
Remarks: Surgeonfish are able to slash other
fishes with their caudal spines by a rapid sidesweep
of the tail.
The eyestripe surgeonfish reputedly has a strong
odor when cooked. The Hawaiian name for this
fish is palani and a Hawaiian riddle based on this
name means “odor reaching to heaven.”
This species can quickly change its coloration
to a much darker shade that obscures the
yellow and markings.
Powder Brown Tang
Acanthurus japonicus (Acanthuridae)
Surgeonfishes, Tangs, and Unicornfishes
Distribution: Asian-Pacific: Sulawesi to Philippines,
SW Japan.
Habitat: Clear lagoons and shallow (2–12 m)
seaward reefs.
Appearance: Like all surgeonfish, are colorful,
thin-bodied, oval shaped. Typically have long
continuous dorsal and anal fins and crescentshaped
caudal fins.
Brownish body with white patch on check
between eyes and mouth; pectoral, anal, and
California Academy of Sciences
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dorsal fins brown with blue highlight at tip.
Orange band on last third of dorsal fin. Yellow
stripes along base of dorsal and anal fins, tail
blue with yellow bar. Length to 21 cm.
Diet: Algae.
Reproduction and Development: Group
spawner.
Lined Surgeonfish
Acanthurus lineatus (Acanthuridae)
Surgeonfishes, Tangs, and Unicornfishes
Distribution: Indo-Pacific from East Africa
north to southern Japan and south to New
South Wales, Australia.
Habitat: Usually found on exposed outer reef
areas at depths of 1–3 m.
Appearance: Compressed, disc-like body
with a large venomous, scalpel-like spine
on each side of the caudal peduncle. Body is
yellowish green, with bright blue stripes edged
with black most pronounced on the flank. The
stripes on the belly are lavender blue to bluish.
The pelvic fins are bright orange. Length to
38 cm.
Diet: Herbivorous, browses on algae. Large
males patrol defined feeding areas and
maintain harems of females.
Reproduction and Development: Migrates to
and spawns in aggregations at specific sites,
although they sometimes spawn in pairs.
Spawning occurs year-round at lower latitudes
but may be seasonal at higher latitudes. The
eggs and larvae are pelagic.
Mortality/Longevity: Can live 30 to 45 years.
Remarks: The caudal spines are very effective
defense mechanisms for surgeonfish. They are
razor sharp and useful weapons against attack.
The lined surgeonfish was first described in
1758 by Carl Linnaeus.
Mata Tang
Acanthurus mata (Acanthuridae)
Surgeonfishes, Tangs and Unicornfishes
Distribution: Red Sea and East Africa to
French Polynesia; southwest to Japan, Great
Barrier Reef, New Caledonia.
Habitat: Frequently inshore in turbid water, as
well as outer reefs in depths 5–100 m. Usually
in groups of conspecifics.
Appearance: Length to 50 cm. Compressed,
pale to dark bluish body with numerous dark