White Tail Tang without yellow around the eye

[Adamantium]

Hi all,

I have a white tail tang (I think), but it doesn’t have the yellow ring around the eye I see in others. It’s pretty much identical in every other way, though.

Does anyone know if this comes in later?

Bonus clown tax

 

[cshouston]

Could just be a mutation or regional population. My Tahitian white tail had the yellow at a very small size, so I don’t believe it’s something they grow into.

 

[Adamantium]

Could just be a mutation or regional population. My white tail had the yellow at a very small size, so I don’t believe it’s something they grow into.

Interesting. I wouldn’t have thought.

And yeah, looking at juvies, they’re mostly yellow, so I’m sure the yellow is there from early on, it doesn’t come in later.

So you think it is a white tail, just a morph? I can’t find anything else it would be, so I imagine you’d be right.

In fact, it came into the LFS as a Tomini, so they sold it to me for a really good price relative to most white tails (they knew it wasn’t a tomini, but weren’t sure what it was at the time).

 

[cshouston]

It’s hard to tell because the second picture is really washed out, but it doesn’t seem to have the same coloration as my white tail. It’s definitely not a Tomini, but it could be some kind of hybrid.

this is my white tail, currently in quarantine, and hard to get a sharp photo of with my phone because he’s a little speed demon:

 

[Adamantium]

It’s hard to tell because the second picture is really washed out, but it doesn’t seem to have the same coloration as my white tail. It’s definitely not a Tomini, but it could be some kind of hybrid.

this is my white tail, currently in quarantine, and hard to get a sharp photo of with my phone because he’s a little speed demon:

Yeah, sorry I couldn’t get a better shot. He’s a quick little guy.

I guess the consensus is he’s a hybrid of some kind. How interesting. I wonder if that makes him more, or less valuable/rare? Not that I have plans to sell him.

 

[CCauthers]

There are both yellow eye and blue eye cole tangs, you likely have a blue eye

 

[Adamantium]

There are both yellow eye and blue eye cole tangs, you likely have a blue eye

Hmm, that may be correct, though his eyes don’t have an especially blue ring around them.

I guess he isn’t as rare as I’d thought haha

 

[Adamantium]

I got a few somewhat better shots. Still a little washed out, but that’s just my lighting.

 

[cshouston]

It doesn’t match any species I can find photographs of. The head spots look like Tomini, and there’s a touch of orange to the dorsal fin, but the stripes are a Kole feature. I wouldn’t consider it rare or valuable, though. Either way, it’s a nice fish so enjoy it regardless of what it is.

 

[Angel_Anthias lover]

Kinda looks like ctenochaetus striatus with the orange spots around the eye

 

[cshouston]

Kinda looks like ctenochaetus striatus

I thought the same thing, but the tail throws it off. If the tail darkens as it grows, you could have a winner with that guess though.

 

[Angel_Anthias lover]

I thought the same thing, but the tail throws it off. If the tail darkens as it grows, you could have a winner with that guess though.

Yea the tail is a bit off i agree.

 

[Spieg]

Orange Stripe Bristletooth Tang

 

[cshouston]

Which was the guess @Angel_Anthias lover made. Except the juvenile color form doesn’t look like this fish, and the adult coloration doesn’t have a white tail. Could still be a mutation or regional population, though.

Ctenochaetus striatus, Marshall Islands

edit: it could be in between phases though. OP: if the tail darkens with time, you have your answer.

 

[scchase]

I believe there is a population of striatus that has a white tail into adult hood, that "species" probably has at least 3 distinct species currently all lumped together. All three of these are identified as either striatus or cf. striatus and ya I want some of the middle ones too though I have never seen them.

 

[cshouston]

I believe there is a population of striatus that has a white tail into adult hood, that "species" probably has at least 3 distinct species currently all lumped together. All three of these are identified as either striatus or cf. striatus and ya I want some of the middle ones too though I have never seen them.

The middle one is a juvenile C. striatus. They lose the coloration when they mature into adulthood.

 

[Angel_Anthias lover]

The middle one is a juvenile C. striatus. They lose the coloration when they mature into adulthood.

In rudie kuiters book on tangs he seems to believe there is a population of the striatus that retains their juvenile colouration into adult hood and had photos of them. But idk they were maybe just large juveniles. Do you know if theres any truth to that?

 

[scchase]

Nope I have had C. striatus all the way down to half and inch including my current one, which is a mean *******, never looked like that most the juveniles I have seen look like this,

 

[scchase]

Of course it could just be a bunch of hybrids as well

 

[Mr_Knightley]

I agree that it is definitely a striatus. I currently have one and his color changes drastically depending on what part of the tank he's in, if the rock is lighter he's lighter and if the rock is dark he's dark. Very interesting and personable fish.