Acanthuridae
Acanthuridae is the family of surgeonfish, tangs, and unicornfish.
| Surgeonfish Temporal range: Eocene to Recent
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|---|---|
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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 | |
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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
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.
Acanthuridae Media
The exposed spine of the surgeonfish species Acanthurus xanthopterus 
1865 watercolor of an Acanthurus by Jacques Burkhardt.
Eyestripe surgeonfish, Acanthurus dussumieri
Powderblue surgeonfish, Acanthurus leucosternon
Doubleband surgeonfish, Acanthurus tennenti
Kole tang, Ctenochaetus strigosus
Bignose unicornfish, Naso vlamingii
Bluespine unicornfish, Naso unicornis
Red Sea sailfin tang, Zebrasoma desjardinii
References
- ↑ "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, 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.