yellow tang
Zebrasoma flavescens (Bennett, 1828)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens), 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.
Wikipedia contributors, Yellow tang; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:54:54.110431+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Zebrasoma flavescens (Bennett, 1828)
- Name authority
- (Bennett, 1828)
- Common name
- yellow tang
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Acanthuriformes
- Family
- Acanthuridae
- Genus
- Zebrasoma
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderAcanthuriformes
- familyAcanthuridae Bonaparte, 1835
- genusZebrasoma Swainson, 1839
- speciesZebrasoma flavescens (Bennett, 1828)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Zebrasoma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| spotted tangZebrasoma gemmatum (Valenciennes, 1835) | AcanthuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| purple tangZebrasoma xanthurum (Blyth, 1852) | AcanthuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Zebrasoma rostratum (Günther, 1875) | AcanthuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Zebrasoma desjardinii (Bennett, 1836) | AcanthuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| twotone tangZebrasoma scopas (Cuvier, 1829) | AcanthuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Zebrasoma velifer (Bloch, 1795) | AcanthuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Acanthurus flavescens Bennett, 1828 Bennett, 1828 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=219683 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5CYHB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.