Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Acanthuriformes
Family: Acanthuridae
Genus: Paracanthurus
Species: P. hepatus
Conservation Status
Regal blue tangs usually grow up to 12 inches long and weigh 21 ounces with the males being larger than the females. Despite their name, they are not always blue; juveniles are born bright yellow and turn blue as they age. Adults have a flat blue body with a yellow tail and black palette design. The spines along the top and bottom of its body give it the name “surgeonfish.”
The regal blue tang is a type of surgeon fish found throughout the Indo-Pacific waters. They inhabit clear waters in various coral reefs with lots of seaweed in pairs or small groups of up to 14 fish.
The regal blue tang goes by many names such as the hippo tang, the Pacific blue tang, palette surgeonfish, blue surgeonfish, flagtail surgeonfish, and more.
Regal blue tangs are important to the health of a coral reef as they eat algae that may have killed the coral. Besides eating algae, the tang’s omnivorous diet also has them eating plankton like their juvenile selves.
During the breeding season, many male and female regal blue tangs will congregate. In the average spawning season, females will release 40,000 eggs in total while the males will release their sperm into the water. This increases the likelihood of fertilization and decreases the chances of the eggs being eaten by predators. The eggs will hatch in about a day and stay in plankton until they become juveniles and then develop in the coral.
Regal blue tangs can be both venomous and poisonous. If they feel threatened, they can raise two sharp spines by their tail and shake their body from side to side to try to sting their attacker. The spines are tipped with a toxin that can debilitate prey and hurt humans. If eaten, regal blue tangs can cause severe stomach problems from the dinoflagellates the regal blue tangs eat.
