Spotted Unicornfish, Naso brevirostris (Cuvier 1829)

Other Names: Longnose Surgeonfish, Longnosed Unicornfish, Palefin Unicornfish, Short-horned Unicornfish, Short-snouted Unicornfish, Spotted Unicorn

A Spotted Unicornfish, Naso brevirostris, on Flynn Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, July 2010. Source: Andrew J. Green / Reef Life Survey. License: CC by Attribution

Summary:

A large brown to greyish unicornfish, often paler anteriorly, with darker vertical lines on the sides, a white truncate to slightly rounded tail with no trailing filaments and a large dark spot at the base, and near-horizontal darker lines on the 'horn'. Subadults have small dark spots on the head and body, and the horn starts as a bump in juveniles from a length of about 10 cm.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2019, Naso brevirostris in Fishes of Australia, accessed 20 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/2195

Spotted Unicornfish, Naso brevirostris (Cuvier 1829)

More Info

Distribution	Ningaloo Reef to the Monte Bello Islands and offshore reefs of Western Australia (juvs south to Rottnest Island), and the northern Great Barrier Reef and reefs in the Coral Sea, to at least Moreton Bay, Queensland (juvs south to Narooma, New South Wales); also Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean, and the Lord Howe Island region in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, Indo-west-central Pacific (Red Sea and East Africa, east to the Hawaiian, Pitcairn and Line islands). Small groups inhabit lagoon and seaward reefs, usually in depths to 46 m.
Features	Dorsal fin VI, 27-29; Anal fin II, 27-29; pectoral fin 16-17; Pelvic fin I, 3.Body depth 2.3-2.7 in SL; Adults with a broad-based horn on forehead extending as much as a head length in front of the mouth; horn appears as a bump on forehead in juveniles (in fish 10cm long); each side of caudal peduncle with a pair of bony plates that develop into knife-like keels in adults; posterior caudal-fin margin straight to slightly rounded.
Feeding	Juveniles and subadults graze on benthic algae, while adults mostly consume gelatinous zooplankton.
Biology	Forms spawning aggregations on the Great Barrier Reef.
Species Citation	Naseus brevirostris Cuvier 1829, Le Règne Animal Vol. 2: 225. Type locality: Indes.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2019
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Spotted Unicornfish, Naso brevirostris (Cuvier 1829)

References

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