''Naso'' is a genus of fish in the surgeonfish family,
Acanthuridae
Acanthuridae are the family of surgeonfishes, tangs, and unicornfishes. The family includes about 86 extant species of marine fish living in tropical seas, usually around coral reefs. Many of the species are brightly colored and popular in aq ...
. Fish of this genus are known commonly as unicornfishes because of the "rostral protuberance", a hornlike extension of the forehead present in some species.
Unicorn fish are popular with spearfishermen and may be cooked by grilling them whole. Unicornfish primarily live around coral reefs and eat mostly algae. It is very popular in Maldives.
This genus is distributed across the
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth.
In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
from
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
to
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
.
Species
The 20 currently recognized species in this genus are:
* ''
Naso annulatus
The whitemargin unicornfish (''Naso annulatus'') is a tropical fish found throughout the Indo-Pacific. It can reach a length of 100 cm, making it one of the largest members of the family Acanthuridae. The species itself exists beyond the Pak ...
Gaimard
Joseph Paul Gaimard (31 January 1793 – 10 December 1858) was a French naval surgeon and naturalist.
Biography
Gaimard was born at Saint-Zacharie on January 31, 1793. He studied medicine at the naval medical school in Toulon, subsequent ...
, 1825) – whitemargin unicornfish
* ''
Naso brachycentron
''Naso brachycentron'', the humpback unicornfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. This species is found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
Taxonomy
...
'' (
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...
, 1835) – humpback unicornfish
* ''
Naso brevirostris
''Naso brevirostris'', also known as the short-nosed unicornfish, spotted unicornfish, brown unicornfish, lined unicornfish, longnose surgeonfish, palefin unicornfish, paletail unicornfish, shorthorned unicornfish or shortsnouted unicornfish, is ...
'' (
G. Cuvier
Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...
Bell
A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...
Morrow
Morrow is a word meaning "the next day" in literary English. It also means "morning" in archaic English
Morrow may also refer to:
Places in the United States and Canada United States
* Morrow, Arkansas
*Morrow, Georgia
* Morrow, Louisiana
*Morr ...
Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Naso lituratus'' ( J. R. Forster, 1801) – orangespine unicornfish
* '' Naso lopezi'' Herre, 1927 – elongated unicornfish
* ''
Naso maculatus
''Naso maculatus'' is a tropical fish found in coral reefs in the Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depend ...
Naso tergus
''Naso tergus'' is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. This species was first formally described in 2011 from off of the coast of Taiwan after several specimens we ...
Naso thynnoides
''Naso thynnoides'', the oneknife unicornfish, oneknife unicorn, thunny unicornfish, singlespine unicornfish, one-spine unicorn, or barred unicornfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the Family (biology), family Acanthuridae, ...
'' (
G. Cuvier
Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...
Naso unicornis
The bluespine unicornfish or short-nose unicornfish (''Naso unicornis'') is a tang from the Indo-Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 70 cm in length. It is called ''kala'' (meaning "thorn" ...
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...
Naso annulatus
The whitemargin unicornfish (''Naso annulatus'') is a tropical fish found throughout the Indo-Pacific. It can reach a length of 100 cm, making it one of the largest members of the family Acanthuridae. The species itself exists beyond the Pak ...
Naso brachycentron
''Naso brachycentron'', the humpback unicornfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. This species is found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
Taxonomy
...
''
Image:Naso brevirostris.jpg, ''
Naso brevirostris
''Naso brevirostris'', also known as the short-nosed unicornfish, spotted unicornfish, brown unicornfish, lined unicornfish, longnose surgeonfish, palefin unicornfish, paletail unicornfish, shorthorned unicornfish or shortsnouted unicornfish, is ...
Orangespine unicornfish
''Naso lituratus'' is a species of fish in the family Acanthuridae, the tangs and unicornfishes. Its common names include barcheek unicornfish, naso tang, and orange-spine unicornfish.
Unique to members of Acanthuridae, including ''Naso liturat ...
Naso thynnoides
''Naso thynnoides'', the oneknife unicornfish, oneknife unicorn, thunny unicornfish, singlespine unicornfish, one-spine unicorn, or barred unicornfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the Family (biology), family Acanthuridae, ...
Naso unicornis
The bluespine unicornfish or short-nose unicornfish (''Naso unicornis'') is a tang from the Indo-Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 70 cm in length. It is called ''kala'' (meaning "thorn" ...