Ok Google Are Blue Tang Predators Facts About Blue Tangs Baby
Blueish Tang
Acanthurus coeruleus
This oval-shaped tropical reef fish is a popular aquarium and bait fish that has iii colour phases of its life. It isn't ofttimes consumed because of the strong smell and chance of ciguaterra poisoning. Handle with care if catching considering of the abrupt spine hidden in the caudal peduncle (narrow area just before the tail).
These vegetarians play an of import function on the reefs past eating the algae that tin can grow over the coral and kill it.
Order – Perciformes
Family – Acanthuridae
Genus – Acanthurus
Species – coeruleus
Common Names
English language common names include blue tang, blue barber, blue doctor, blue doctorfish, blue tang surgeonfish, blur tang, yellowish hairdresser, and xanthous doctorfish. Other names are barbeiro (Portuguese), barbero (Spanish), barbero azul (Castilian), chirurgien bayolle (French), chirurgien bleu (French), cirujano (Spanish), dr. (Spanish), doctor (Spanish), navajon azul (Spanish), pokolec turkusowy (Smooth), sangrador azul (Spanish), and siwizye (Creole).
Importance to Humans
The blue tang is of small commercial fisheries importance, however it is occasionally utilized as a bait fish. The flesh has a strong odour and is not highly prized. This fish may cause ciguaterra poisoning if consumed by humans. Nonetheless, blue tangs are nerveless commercially for the aquarium trade. An unwary human who tries to handle the blue tang risks the chances of existence badly cutting by the caudal spine. These spines, on both sides of the caudal peduncle, are extended from the torso when the fish becomes excited.
The quick, thrashing sideways motion of the tail tin can produce deep wounds that event in swelling and discoloration, posing a high risk of infection. The hurting can last for hours, until somewhen subsiding into a dull ache. It is believed that some species of Acathurus have venom glands while others practice not. The spines are used only as a method of protection against aggressors.
Conservation
> Check the condition of the bluish tang at the IUCN website.
The IUCN is a global matrimony of states, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations in a partnership that assesses the conservation status of species.
Geographical Distribution
The blueish tang is found in the western Atlantic Ocean from New York and Bermuda to the Gulf of Mexico, southward to Brazil. It is abundant in Florida, Bahamas, and the Caribbean Ocean. In the eastern Atlantic Sea it occurs near Ascension Isle.
Habitat
Tangs are found in coral reefs and inshore grassy or rocky areas at depths of 6-131 feet (2-40 yard). In coral reefs, blue tangs live in holes and crevices where they are sheltered from predators while they slumber at night. The blue tang lives singly, in pairs, or in small-scale groups of up to 10 or 12 individuals, although occasionally information technology forms large aggregations that forage about the shallow reefs, grazing on algae. These aggregations sometimes include doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus) and other surgeonfish.
The juvenile blue tang is rarely seen on the reef due to its small size and need for constant comprehend from predators. The intermediate stage with the blueish body and yellow tail is ofttimes observed on reefs while young adults are abundant everywhere on the reef.
Biology
Distinctive Features
The blue tang is a loftier-bodied, compressed, pancake-shaped fish with a pointed snout and small scales. The heart is located high on the head and the mouth is small and low on the head. The dorsal fin is continuous. Of particular interest is the singled-out xanthous caudal spine located at the base of the tail on either side of the body, a characteristic shared with other surgeonfish. This spine fits into a horizontal groove and can be extended and used to fend off aggressive encounters.
Coloration
This fish has three color phases. In its juvenile phase, information technology is bright yellow, changing to a mixture of yellowish and blue during adolescence. There may be blueish crescents above and below the pupils of the eyes. Information technology may be spotted with blue or have a yellow torso and blue fins.
As the fish matures into the intermediate phase, the color darkens to a vivid blue or purplish-gray with a yellow caudal fin. Grey longitudinal lines are located in the flank region with blue dorsal and anal fins banded with orangish-brownish diagonal lines. The caudal spine is yellow to pale yellow or white. At night, blue tangs brandish white vertical stripes.
Adult bluish tangs are deep blueish to purplish-blue with a yellow caudal spine. The change from juvenile to intermediate to developed coloration is non size-dependent as some fish in the juvenile yellow phase may exist larger than the adult bluish phase.
Dentition
The close-fix, spatulate teeth of the blue tang are well adapted for nipping, grazing, and browsing algae from the reef. There are 14 teeth on the upper jaw and sixteen teeth on the lower jaw.
Size, Historic period, and Growth
The bluish tang reaches approximately 12 inches (30.v cm) in length. The largest specimen, caught off the declension of South America, measured 14.4 inches (37 cm). It reaches sexual maturity at 9-12 months of age and lengths of 4-5 inches (xi-13 cm).
Nutrient Habits
This fish feeds entirely on algae. Information technology grazes algae from rocky areas and browses filamentous algae, thereby avoiding big quantities of calcareous materials. Other surgeonfishes have heavier-walled, gizzard-like stomachs, and are capable of handling ingested sand and other calcareous materials. Bluish tangs are important in keeping algae populations nether control, preventing algae from overgrowing and suffocating corals.
Reproduction
Spawning occurs during late afternoon and evening hours. This event is indicated by a change in colour from a compatible dark blue to a pale bluish anterior and night blue posterior. Males aggressively courtroom female person members of the school, leading to a quick upwardly spawning rush toward the surface of the water during which eggs and sperm are released. The eggs are modest, approximately 0.8mm in diameter. The eggs are pelagic, each containing a single droplet of oil for flotation. The fertilized eggs hatch in 24-hour interval, revealing small, translucent larvae with silver abdomens and rudimentary caudal spines.
The newly hatched larvae are referred to as acronurus because they were once thought to represent a carve up genus of fish, Acronurus. The acronurus is diamond-shaped and laterally compressed, with a head shaped similar a triangle. It has large optics and prominent pectoral fins, and vertical ridges on the body. The dorsal fins, anal fins, and scales begin to develop when the acronurus reaches 2-6 mm in length. The caudal spine does not appear until the acronurus reaches well-nigh 13 mm in length.
Late mail-acronurus drift inshore, where they metamorphose into juveniles. The acronurus lose their silvery colour and turn brown, and their profiles become round. The prominent dorsal and anal spines that are feature of the acronurus reduce, and the snout elongates. Complete metamorphosis takes most a week, after which ii-inch long juveniles settle onto the bottom of a suitable inshore habitat.
Predators
Tuna, bar jack, tiger grouper, and other large carnivorous fishes are known predators of the blue tang.
Taxonomy
The blueish tang is one of 75 species in the surgeonfish family, Acanthuridae. This family of fishes are referred to every bit surgeonfish due to the very abrupt, movable spines on either side of the tail that resemble surgeons' scalpels.
The blue tang was kickoff described as Acanthurus coeruleus by Bloch and Schneider in 1801. Acanthurus is derived from the Greek "acantha" which means thorn, and the Greek "oura" which means tail. Synonyms used to refer to the blue tang include Acanthurus broussonnetii Desmarest 1823, Acanthurus violaceus Castelnau 1855, Acanthurus brevis Poey 1860, Acronurus caeruleatus Poey 1875, Acanthurus heliodes Barbour 1905, Teuthis helioides Barbour 1905, andHapatus pawnee Breder 1927.
Prepared by: Cathleen Bester
Source: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/acanthurus-coeruleus/
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