Yellow tang
Zebrasoma flavescens
- Usual depth6–23 m
- Water temperature24–30 °C
- Best monthsApril, August, and September
- How commonCommon
About this species
The yellow tang, also known as the lemon sailfin, yellow sailfin tang or somber surgeonfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae which includes the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. Bright yellow in color, this Pacific reef fish is also one of the most popular marine aquarium fish. The yellow tang spawns around a full moon, eats algae, and has a white barb located just before the tail fin to protect itself.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Yellow tang”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
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Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 355 records
- February: 59 records
- March: 355 records
- April: 878 records
- May: 445 records
- June: 846 records
- July: 762 records
- August: 1,195 records
- September: 1,151 records
- October: 701 records
- November: 183 records
- December: 3 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 6–23 m · Deepest record: 219.5 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 24–30 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Yellow tang, Lemon Sailfin, Somber Surgeonfish, Yellow Sailfin Tang, yellow tang
Names in 7 more languages
- German
- Gelber Segeldoktorfisch, Gelber Segelflossendoktor, Hawaii-Doktorfisch
- Spanish
- Pez cirujano amarillo del Pacífico
- Filipino
- Labahita, Surahan, Tudluan
- French
- Chirurgien jaune
- Japanese
- Kiirohagi, キイロハギ
- Korean
- 노랑양쥐돔, 옐로 탱
- Simplified Chinese
- 黃高鰭刺尾鯛
Other scientific names: Acanthurus flavescens
Similar species
Twotone tangZebrasoma scopas
- sailfin surgeonfish
Zebrasoma velifer
Eyestripe surgeonfishAcanthurus dussumieri
Lined surgeonfishAcanthurus lineatus
BacksurgeonfishAcanthurus nigricans
Brown surgeonfishAcanthurus nigrofuscus
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 8,066 open-data records from 1828 to 2022.
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