''Acanthurus triostegus'', commonly known as convict tang, manini, convict surgeonfish, convict surgeon, or fiveband surgeonfish, is a species of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Acanthuridae Acanthuridae are a family of ray-finned fish which includes surgeonfishes, tangs, and unicornfishes. The family includes about 86 extant species of marine fish living in tropical seas, usually around coral reefs. Many of the species are brigh ...

which includes the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. This species has a wide

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

distribution.

Taxonomy

''Acanthurus triostegus'' was first formally described in 1758 as ''Chaetodon triostegus'' by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

, the description being published in the 10 edition of ''

Systema Naturae ' (originally in Latin written ' with the Orthographic ligature, ligature æ) is one of the major works of the Sweden, Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) and introduced the Linnaean taxonomy. Although the syste ...

'' with its type locality given as "Indies". The genus ''

Acanthurus ''Acanthurus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, which includes the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs, found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. They are found in tropical oceans, especially ...

'' is one of two genera in the tribe

Acanthurini Acanthurini is a tribe of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Acanthuridae and it is one of three tribes in the subfamily Acanthurinae. Taxonomy Acanthurini was first proposed as a taxon in 1839 by the French naturalist Charles Lucie ...

which is one of three tribes in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Acanthurinae ''Acanthurinae'' is a subfamily of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the Family (biology), family Acanthuridae, found in the Indo-Pacific and the tropical Atlantic. These fishes commonly have the English names surgeonfishes or tangs. Taxono ...

which is one of two subfamilies in the family Acanthuridae.

Etymology

''Acanthurus triostegus'' was given the

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''triostegus'' which means "three covers", this may refer to the three

branchiostegal membrane This glossary of ichthyology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in ichthyology, the study of fishes. A B C ...

Description

The convict tang is so called because of its bold black stripes on a yellowish background. It is a laterally-compressed oval-shaped fish with a maximum length of about . The head is small with a pointed snout and a terminal mouth with thick lips. It has six black stripes which distinguishes it from the zebra tang ('' Acanthurus polyzona'') which has nine, and has a more restricted range in the Indian Ocean. The first black stripe is oblique and passes through the eye. There are two black spots on the caudal peduncle, and on each side there is a sharp, retractable spine, which is used in offence or defence.

Distribution and habitat

''Acanthurus triostegus'' occurs in the tropical Indo-Pacific region. Its range extends from the East African coast and Madagascar to southwestern Japan, Australia and Central America, including many Pacific island groups. It is found over hard bottoms in lagoons, reef slopes, bays and estuaries. Juveniles are common in tide pools, and larger fish are found at depths down to about .

Biology

''Acanthurus triostegus'' frequently feed in the vicinity of freshwater discharges, grazing filamentous algae off the rocks. Typically these tangs graze on filamentous algae growing on coral or rocky substrates. The adults aggregate in large schools to feed and these overwhelm

damselfish Damselfish are those fish within the subfamilies Abudefdufinae, Chrominae, Lepidozyginae, Pomacentrinae, and Stegastinae within the family Pomacentridae. Most species within this group are relatively small, although the four largest speci ...

es attempting to defend their

territories A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

. The males and females gather in aggegations to

spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawning, the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** ''Spawn: Armageddon' ...

Utilisation

''Acanthurus triostegus'' is targeted as a food fish in many parts of its range and in some areas is commercially targeted. In Hawaii it is fished for by recreational

angler Angler may refer to: * A fisherman who uses the fishing technique of angling * Angler (video game), ''Angler'' (video game) * Angler (restaurant), a seafood restaurant in San Francisco, California * The angler, ''Lophius piscatorius'', a monkfish ...

s and it is also caught for the

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

trade.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1247501 triostegus Fish of the Indian Ocean Fish of the Pacific Ocean Fish of Hawaii Marine fish of Nicaragua Fish of Palau Fish described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus