is a mimic tang a tang or a butterfly fish

[nu2salt]

i just got back from the local fish store and they had a mimic tang.i was gonna buy him but the guy told me it was not a tang but a type of butterfly fish that mimics a tang so they will not be bother when they graze. since if have a reef tank i did not buy him. is this true or is he out of his mind.
just trying to see if i can learn something new today.

 

[fedukeford]

What did it look like? there is a tang called a mimic tang, but i dont think ive ever heard of a mimic tang in the butterfly family
Jordan

 

[nu2salt]

i have been doing some goggeling since my post and i think it was a tang it justs mimics the color of an angel fish not a butterfly like the lfs guy said. it was busy so he may have just made a mistake and didn't know it.

 

[fishkiller]

It's also called a chocolate tang. He's yellow and brownish? If it's not a tang, they shouldn't call it a tang. Mimic tangs ARE tangs. Look at the scientific name, if they don't know it, tell them to look at their invoice for the order it came in. The scientific name should always be on their invoice. Get that and look it up from there.

 

[stanlalee]

minic tangs are tangs that mimic the coloration of dwarf angels as juveniles. ancanthurus tristis mimics the eibli angel and ancanthurus pyroferus mimics several different dwarf angels depending on location including lemon peel, half black, bicolor among others. they lose the mimicktry coloration upon maturation as adults.
A. pyroferus
mimicking half black

mimicking lemon peel and mature coloration in inset

A. tristis (eibli angel mimic)

reasoning mature dwarf angels (the size of juvenile tangs) are known to be more elusive to prey, more of savy and more likely to be accepted as a non food source to predators then juvenile tangs. often found tailing close by the actual angels they mimic.