See text Acanthurus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, which includes the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs, found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean.

As other members of the family, they have a pair of spines, one on either side of the base of the tail which are dangerously sharp.

It has been proposed that the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature should be petitioned to stabilise the genera Acanthurus and Paracanthurus.

[8] There are currently 41 recognized species in this genus:[9] Acanthurus surgeonfishes have disc shaped, highly laterally compressed bodies with a steep dorsal profile to the head.

[13] The Indo-Pacific yellowfin surgeonfish (A. xanthopterus) is the largest species with a maximum published total length of 70 cm (28 in) while the smallest is the black-barred surgeonfish (A. polyzona) with a maximum published total length of 11 cm (4.3 in).