| Paracanthurus | |
|---|---|
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| Paracanthurus hepatus, most known specie of this genus | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acanthuriformes |
| Family: | Acanthuridae |
| Subfamily: | Acanthurinae |
| Genus: | Paracanthurus Bleeker, 1863 |
| Species: | P. hepatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Paracanthurus hepatus | |
Paracanthurus is agenus ofsurgeonfish. It contains a single memberspecies,Paracanthurus hepatus. It is often called thepalette tang. It lives in theIndian Ocean and the western and centralPacific Ocean. It is a popular fish inmarine aquariums.
The palette tang has aroyal bluebody, a yellow tail, and a black area that looks like an artist'spalette. The lower body is yellow in the west-centralIndian Ocean.[2] It grows to 30 cm (12 in.).[3] This fish has a flat shape, like a pancake, with a circular body shape, a pointed snout-like nose, and small scales. The Palette Tang has 9spines on its back. It also has 3 spines on the bottom near the tail. Other names this species is known by include regal tang, palette surgeonfish, blue tang (sometimes confused with the AtlanticAcanthurus coeruleus), royal blue tang, hippo tang, flagtail surgeonfish, pacific regal blue tang and blue surgeonfish.
The species'range is broad. It can be found throughout the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean. It is also found in theseas connecting the two oceans. It is seen inreefs ofEast Africa,Japan,Samoa,New Caledonia, and theGreat Barrier Reef.[4] They live inpairs or in a small groups of up to 10 or 12 individuals. These fish reach sexualmaturity at 9–12 months of age. The Palette Tang is one of the most common and most popular Marine Aquarium fish all over the world.[5] In an aquarium they must be given more space or they will act aggressively towards each other.[5]
As a young fish it eats mostlyplankton. Adults fish areomnivorous and feed on plankton andalgae. Spawning occurs during late afternoon and evening hours. While it is spawning the fish's color changes from an even dark blue to a pale blue.
