Acanthuridae

Kole tang

Ctenochaetus strigosus

Comb shaped teeth whisk detritus directly from the reef floor

• Blue
• Brown
• Yellow
• Tropical
• Regional distribution
• Marine fish
• Compressed
• Compressed cross-section
• Medium
• Tropical fish

Characterized by an intensely saturated lemon-yellow eye ring set against a dusky chocolate-brown body, the kole tang is a revered endemic surgeonfish of the Hawaiian archipelago and Johnston Atoll. Its deep, compressed oval body is finely etched with numerous pale blue-to-gold wavy longitudinal lines along the sides, while the head is sprinkled with fine golden speckles. A mobile, venom-bearing defensive spine rests in a darkened sheath on each side of the caudal peduncle. Occupying coral-rich lagoon drop-offs, basaltic reefs, and wave-exposed surge platforms from one to one hundred meters depth, this diligent grazer performs an irreplaceable ecological service. Unlike surgeonfishes with rigid teeth that crop macroscopic algae, its jaws house flexible, brush-tipped bristle teeth designed to sweep and whisk fine biological detritus, diatoms, and dinoflagellate films directly off dead coral and basalt surfaces without grinding down limestone substrate. This non-destructive vacuuming maintains clean settlement surfaces across Hawaiian reefs. Highly active throughout daylight hours, the species reaches a maximum recorded total length of eighteen centimetres.

Sources: NOAA Fisheries & Bishop Museum — Kole Tang, Ctenochaetus strigosus