Paracanthurus hepatus is a species of Indo-Pacific surgeonfish. The Blue Tang has a royal blue body, yellow tail, and black 'palette' design. The lower body is yellow in the west-central Indian Ocean. It grows to 30 cm (12 in.). This fish is rather flat, like a pancake, with a circular body shape, a pointed snout-like nose, and small scales. The species' range is broad, but it is common nowhere. It can be found throughout the Indo-Pacific. It is seen in reefs of East Africa, Japan, Samoa, New Caledonia, and the Great Barrier Reef.