Paracanthurus hepatus

Acanthuridae
Blue Tang, Blue Surgeonfish, Flag-tail Surgeonfish, Hepatus Tang, Indo-pacific Blue Tang, Palette Surgeonfish, Palette Tang, Regal Blue Surgeonfish, Wedgetailed Blue Tang
  • Paracanthurus hepatus, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Paracanthurus hepatus, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
  • Paracanthurus hepatus, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
    Paracanthurus hepatus, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
  • Paracanthurus hepatus, NSW, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
    Paracanthurus hepatus, NSW, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Distribution
Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Bright blue, rounded body with a broad black stripe from eye to tail base then curving back to mid body, and bright yellow tail with dark upper and lower margins. Usually found near branching coral heads on reef flats, into which they retreat when approached.
Information
  • Max Size: 31 cm
  • Sea Temperature Range: 19.9-30.7°C
  • Depth: 2-40 m
  • Habitat: Coral Reef
  • Habitat Generalisation Index: 3.4
    Also referred to as the SGI (Species generalisation index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here
Rarity
  • Threats: Exploitation
  • IUCN Threat Status: Least Concern
  • Occurrence: Infrequent (4% of sites)
    Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
  • Abundance: Several (5 per transect)
    Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Joe Shields
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