Atlantic Blue Tang
Acanthurus coeruleus
Indian Gold-ring Bristletooth
Ctenochaetus truncatus
About
A speckled reef grazer found only in the Indian Ocean, the Indian gold-ring bristletooth gets its name from a bright ring of colour circling its eye.
Also known as: yelloweye bristletooth, indian gold-ring bristle-tooth, squaretail bristletooth tang
- Depth
- up to 21 m
How to tell it apart
Several tangs in this family are speckled and brownish, but the yellow ring circling the eye is the mark that sets this species apart from similar bristletooths on the same reef.
Appearance
The body is orange-brown, covered in many tiny pale blue to yellow spots that also reach onto the base of the dorsal fin along its back. A yellow ring surrounds the eye, and the tail, dorsal, anal and pelvic fins all carry a yellow tinge. Young fish look completely different: they are bright yellow all over before developing the spotted adult colouring.
Habitat
It lives on sheltered reef crests and slopes, at depths from 1 to 21 metres, usually near large coral heads or in channels. It is found alone or in small groups.
Did you know?
Even though it is common on Indian Ocean reefs, this fish was not formally described by scientists until 2001, when researchers John Randall and Kendall Clements named it from a specimen collected at La Digue in the Seychelles.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
