Genus: Acanthurus, Common Surgeonfish, Surgeonfishes, Tangs
very compressed disc
tail base: knife
teeth short, fixed, tips notched
ACANTHURUS
SURGEONFISHES, TANGS
Body a strongly compressed disc; head profile steep; eye high on side of head; mouth small, protrusible, low on head; teeth on jaws fixed, with flattened, notched tips, 8-28 on each jaw; dorsal fin usually with IX spines, not very high, no notch after spines; pelvic fin I, 5; a single depressible spine fits into a groove on the side of the base of the tail; scales very small, rough; lateral line complete.
A circumtropical genus with about 42 species; 3 W Atlantic species occur in our area.
