the palette tang has a body, a yellow tail, and a black area that looks like an artist's palette. the lower body is yellow in the west-central indian ocean. it grows to 30 cm (12 in.). this fish has a flat shape, like a pancake, with a circular body shape, a pointed snout-like nose, and small scales. the palette tang has 9 on its back. it also has 3 spines on the bottom near the tail. other names this species is known by include regal tang, palette surgeonfish, blue tang (sometimes confused with the atlantic "acanthurus coeruleus"), royal blue tang, hippo tang, flagtail surgeonfish, pacific regal blue tang and blue surgeonfish.