''Naso'' is a genus of fish in the surgeonfish family,
Acanthuridae. 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 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 state ...
.
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 ...
''
( Quoy & 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 ...
, 1835) – humpback unicornfish
* ''
Naso brevirostris''
( G. Cuvier, 1829) – short-nosed unicornfish, spotted unicornfish
* ''
Naso caeruleacauda''
J. E. Randall, 1994 – bluetail unicornfish, blue unicorn
* ''
Naso caesius''
J. E. Randall & 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 inte ...
, 1992 – gray unicornfish
* ''
Naso elegans''
( Rüppell, 1829) – elegant unicornfish, orange-spine unicorn
* ''
Naso fageni''
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 ...
, 1954 – horseface unicornfish
* ''
Naso hexacanthus''
( Bleeker, 1855) – sleek unicornfish, blacktongue unicorn
* ''
Naso lituratus''
( J. R. Forster, 1801) – orangespine unicornfish
* ''
Naso lopezi''
Herre, 1927 – elongated unicornfish
* ''
Naso maculatus''
J. E. Randall & Struhsaker, 1981 – spotted unicornfish
* ''
Naso mcdadei''
J. W. Johnson, 2002 – squarenose unicornfish
* ''
Naso minor''
( J. L. B. Smith, 1966) – slender unicorn
* ''
Naso reticulatus''
J. E. Randall, 2001 – reticulated unicornfish
* ''
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 ...
''
H. C. Ho, K. N. Shen & C. W. Chang, 2011
* ''
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, 1829) – oneknife unicornfish
* ''
Naso tonganus''
(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 ...
, 1835) – bulbnose unicornfish
* ''
Naso tuberosus''
Lacépède, 1801 – humpnose unicornfish
* ''
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" ...
''
( Forsskål, 1775) – bluespine unicornfish
* ''
Naso vlamingii''
(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 ...
, 1835) – bignose unicornfish
Image:Naso annulatus.jpg, ''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 ...
''
Image:Maldives Humpback unicornfish, Naso brachycentron.jpg, ''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''
Image:Grey Unicornfish with Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse.jpg, '' Naso caesius''
Image:Naso elegans Réunion.JPG, '' Naso elegans''
Image:Naso hexacanthus.jpg, '' Naso hexacanthus''
Image:Orangespine Unicornfish - Naso lituratus.jpg, Orangespine unicornfish, '' Naso lituratus''
Image:BozuHG.jpg, ''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, ...
''
Image:Naso reticulatus 57 cm.png, '' Naso reticulatus''
Image:Bulbnose unicornfish.jpg, '' Naso tonganus''
Image:Naso tuberosus Réunion.jpg, '' Naso tuberosus''
Image:Naso unicornis Réunion.jpg, Bluespine unicornfish, ''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" ...
''
Image:Pale Blue Fish (4506399688).jpg, Bignose unicornfish, '' Naso vlamingii''
References
Acanthuridae
Extant Eocene first appearances
Marine fish genera
Taxa named by Bernard Germain de Lacépède
{{Acanthuridae-stub