Blue tang

Classification

Chordata › Actinopterygii › Acanthuriformes › Acanthuridae

1. Kingdom Animalia animals
   • Many-celled organisms that eat other living things for energy (heterotrophs)
   • Cells have no cell walls
   • Most can move at some stage of life
2. Clade Bilateria bilateral animals
   • Body has a left and right side that mirror each other (bilateral symmetry)
   • Head end with concentrated nerves; three tissue layers
   • Includes about 99% of all living animal species
3. Clade Deuterostomia deuterostomes
   • In the embryo, the first opening becomes the anus and the mouth forms second
   • Includes echinoderms and chordates
4. Phylum Chordata chordates
   • At some stage of life: a stiffening rod along the back (notochord)
   • A hollow nerve cord along the back (dorsal)
   • Slits in the throat (pharyngeal slits) and a tail past the anus
5. Subphylum Vertebrata vertebrates
   • A skull (cranium) protecting a brain
   • Backbone or similar support around the nerve cord
   • Includes fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals
6. Infraphylum Gnathostomata jawed vertebrates
   • Jawed vertebrates: jaws formed from gill arches
   • Paired fins or limbs
   • Includes all fishes except hagfish and lampreys, plus all tetrapods
7. Superclass Osteichthyes bony vertebrates
   • Bony vertebrates: skeleton made largely of bone
   • Most have a lung or swim bladder
   • Includes ray-finned and lobe-finned fishes and all tetrapods
8. Class Actinopterygii ray-finned fishes
   • Ray-finned fishes: fins are webs of skin held up by thin bony rays
   • Usually a gas-filled swim bladder for buoyancy
   • About half of all vertebrate species
9. Infraclass Teleostei teleost fishes
   • Teleosts: symmetrical tail fin
   • Jaws that can push forward to grab prey (protrusible)
   • About 96% of all living fishes
10. Cohort Euteleostei salmon, cod, perch & kin
    • A huge group that includes salmon, cod, and all spiny-finned fishes
11. Clade Acanthomorpha spiny-rayed fishes
    • Spiny-rayed fishes: true spines in the front of the fins
    • Includes most familiar marine fishes
12. Superorder Acanthopterygii spiny-finned fishes
    • Spiny-finned fishes: sharp spines in the front of the dorsal and anal fins
    • Pelvic fins usually under the pectoral fins
13. Clade Percomorpha perch-like fishes
    • The perch-like fishes: the largest group of vertebrates
    • Pelvic fins with one spine and five rays (in most)
14. Clade Eupercaria wrasses, groupers, pufferfishes & kin
    • A very large group including wrasses, groupers, snappers, drums, anglerfishes, and pufferfishes
15. Order Acanthuriformes surgeonfishes & kin
    • Surgeonfishes and relatives: mostly reef fishes
16. Family Acanthuridae surgeonfishes & tangs
    • Surgeonfishes: scalpel-like spines near the tail
17. Genus Paracanthurus
    • Species in the same genus are very close relatives and often look alike.
18. Species Paracanthurus hepatus Blue tang

Closest relatives in the guide

• Moorish idol Zanclus cornutus same order
• Acadian redfish Sebastes fasciatus same class
• Alaska pollock Gadus chalcogrammus same class
• Albacore Thunnus alalunga same class
• Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus same class
• American conger Conger oceanicus same class
• American eel Anguilla rostrata same class
• American goosefish Lophius americanus same class