Tangs

Herbivorous fishes

Images coming soon.

BODY oblong, compressed and usually elevated, covered with very small scales; lateral line continuous; tail armed with 1 or more spines or bony plates; eye high up; preorbital very narrow and deep; nostrils double; mouth small and low, each jaw with a single series of narrow incisor-like teeth; vomer and palatines toothless; premaxillaries slightly movable, but not protractile; no gillrakers; pseudobranchiae large; gill-membranes attached to the isthmus, the openings restricted to the sides; 1 dorsal fin, with strong spines, the spinous part of the fin shorter than the soft part; anal similar to soft dorsal.

Herbivorous fishes of warm seas, usually easily known by the lancet-like spine on side of caudal peduncle. There are about 5 genera and 80 species, most of the latter belonging to the genus Teuthis. Only a few of the species are of any food-value. There are in our waters 2 genera with about 6 species, only a few of which are of any value for food.

The American species of Teuthis may be distinguished as follows:

a. Outline rhomboid, the depth 1 1/2 in length; colour brown washed with blue; .....caeruleus

aa. Outline ovate, the depth about 2 in length; colour brown, never blue.

cc. Upper lobe of caudal produced in a long filament; bahianus

The species of Teuthis are known variously as surgeon-fish, doctor-fish, lancet-fish, barbers and tangs; and among Spanish fishermen as Barberos and Medicos--all of the same origin and meaning the same thing; for the barbers were the first "medicos" who combined the practice of phlebotomy with their regular vocation.

T. caeruleus is one of our best known species, as it is quite common from Key West to Bahia. It is the blue tang and is common about Porto Rico where it is used as food. It reaches 8 or 10 inches in length and is usually found among algae in shallow water, though the larger individuals are found at greater depths.