Surgeonfish (including Tangs, Bristletooths and Unicornfish)

Group 1
Surgeonfish (including Tangs,
Bristletooths and
Unicornfish)
Introduction
• The main feature of family is a very sharp keel, like a
‘surgeons knife’
• Fairly rounded, thin fins
• Steep nape leading to a small pointed mouth
• Very obvious rounded gill cover
• Notched tail
• Swim with caudal and pectoral fins
• Form loose aggregations of different species
Introduction
• All are herbivores: eat algae off the substrate and feed continuously
throughout the day. Exert primary control on algal-coral dynamics
• Surgeons are mostly grazers but those which school in water column are
planktivores
• Tangs are all grazers
• Bristletooths are detritivores which feed on organic matter in the sediment
and on reef surfaces
• Unicornfish are browsers or planktivores
Surgeonfish fin shape
Tang fin shape
Bristletooth fin shape
Common examples of surgeonfish
around here (all species are surveyed
to family)
Summary Points
Powderblue Surgeonfish
• Blue body with yellow dorsal fin and white anal and ventral fins
• Black head
• Yellow keel
Striped Surgeonfish
• Black edged blue stripes
• Purple/blue underbelly
Blackstreak Surgeonfish
• Pale to dark brown or gray
• Long black bar behind eye
• Thin black streak from the keel
Convict Surgeonfish
• White with 5-6 black bars on head and body
Palette Surgeonfish
• Bright blue head and body
• Yellow tail with black edging
• Black hook shape from tail base
• Dory from ‘Finding Nemo’
Tangs are not surveyed
Yellow/brown to black body
White keel
‘Make-up brush’ tail
Yellow bars & spots
Enlarged
fins
Summary Points
Brushtail Tang
• Yellowish brown to darker black at tail
• Black tail
• White keel
Indian Sailfin Tang
• Pattern of yellow bars and spots
• Blue spots on dark tail
• Enlarged dorsal and anal fins with arched yellow lines
Common examples of Bristletooths
around here (all surveyed together to
family)
Brown/gray
body
Thin blue
lines
Orange circle
Orange/ brown
body
Black
spots
Summary Points
Lined Bristletooth
• Dark brown or greyish
• Thin lines running along body and orange spots on head
• May have a small black spot at base of rear dorsal fin
Goldring Bristletooth
• Looks like the Lined Bristletooth but has an orange circle around the
eye
Twospot Bristletooth
• Orange brown
• Thin blue lines running along body and orange spots on head
• Black spots either side of caudal peduncle
Common examples of
Unicornfish around here (all
surveyed together to family)
Blue dorsal fin
Orange
spines
Orange anal fin
Yellow nape
Unicorn horn
Oval shaped body
Summary Points
Orangespine Unicornfish
• Brownish gray with yellow nape
• Two orange spines on tail base
• Generally an orange anal fin and blue dorsal fin
• Does not have a horn projecting from the nape
All other Unicornfish seen will have an obvious horn of
differing lengths projecting from the nape