The Nicest White Tang Ever.

by | Mar 21, 2018 | Fish | 0 comments

Here it is, the best looking “white tang” that has ever been collected… a perfect contrast of vibrant yellow fins set against a stark white body. The effect is like a reverse fried egg. Most of the time when we see this mutation in Zebrasoma flavescens it results in an unusual piebald asymmetry, sort of like a piscine vitiligo. Other times it can create a sickly pale-yellow cast all over, while on especially rare occasion it will produce an entirely white specimen. Those can be quite nice (albeit a bit bland for my taste), but here this tang has hit the genetic lottery.

A similar specimen showed up at Pacific Island Aquatics back in 2014, though it was in many ways lesser in quality. For starters, the yellow in its fins is noticeably lacking in saturation, with several large blemishes ruining the effect. It also sported considerably more yellow along the belly and lacked the beautiful yellow margin to the caudal fin (which reminds one a bit of the Mariana Clarkii). But it is no match for the Reverse Egg Tang (stupidest name ever?). This specimen would look pretty great swimming alongside the hypermelanistic Achilles Tang in a mutant-themed Hawaii biotope, though rumor has it that this leucoxanthic Zebrasoma sold for over five figures. Ouch.

  • Joe Rowlett

    Joe is classically trained in the zoological arts and sciences, with a particular focus on the esoterica of invertebrate taxonomy and evolution. He’s written for several aquarium publications and for many years lorded over the marinelife at Chicago’s venerable Old Town Aquarium. He currently studies prairie insect ecology at the Field Museum of Natural History and fish phylogenetics at the University of Chicago.

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