Powder Blue Tang

Acanthurus leucosternon was first formally described in 1833 by the English naturalist Edward Turner Bennett with its type locality given as Sri Lanka. The genus Acanthurus is one of two genera in the tribe Acanthurini which is one of three tribes in the subfamily Acanthurinae which is one of two subfamilies in the family Acanthuridae.

Acanthurus leucosternon has the specific name leucosternon. This combines the Greek words leukos, meaning "white", and sternon, meaning "breast"; this refers to the white chest shown by this species.

Acanthurus leucosternon is found in tropical waters from the Indian Ocean. The species inhabits shallow and clear coastal waters always associated with a reef. It prefers flat top reefs and areas along seaward slopes.

ing in the Maldives, Indian Ocean]] The powder blue tang, like most fish in the family Acanthuridae, is herbivorous, eating mostly benthic algae. Acanthurus leucosternon has a diurnal activity. It is solitary, territorial and aggressive with other surgeonfish. In cases where food is plentiful, it may feed in shoals, but in cases of scarcity, it may compete individually for food. It may use its surgeon's scalpel as a defensive weapon.

The powder blue tang is rarely harvested for anything other than the marine aquarium industry. It is a commonly sold fish that is moderately difficult to care for, although its popularity is easily exceeded by the regal tang and yellow tang. They are very prone to Cryptocaryon irritans. They are reef safe and are compatible with most species except other species of fish in the genus Acanthurus.