Convict Tang

ID points

• Five thin black vertical bars on a silvery white ground, like a prison uniform
• Another short black bar at the base of the pectoral fin
• Hundreds often surge onto the reef flat in schools to graze algae

Basics

Family

Acanthuridae

Length

15–25 cm

Depth

0-90 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs

Distribution

Outer edges of Indo-Pacific coral reefs

Habitat

Reef flats and shallow surge zones

Diet

Algae

Easily confused with

Achilles TangInk black body with a bright orange teardrop patch on the tail baseIndian Ocean Nose TangBright yellow dorsal fin, two orange plates on the tail basePowder Blue TangPowder blue body, black head like a mask

Fun fact

Five black bars on a white body give the convict tang its prison-stripe look. It grazes algae along the outer reef in massed groups of several hundred and is an important cleaner in the reef ecosystem.

More in this family

• Blue Tang
• Unicornfish
• Yellow Tang