Horseface unicornfish

Naso fageni

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth77–89 m
Water temperature25–29 °C
Best monthsMay and August
How commonOccasional

Photo credit: (c) desertnaturalist, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Naso fageni, the horseface unicornfish or blunt unicornfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. This fish is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Naso fageni”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 2 records
February: 0 records
March: 1 records
April: 14 records
May: 498 records
June: 5 records
July: 3 records
August: 400 records
September: 38 records
October: 10 records
November: 6 records
December: 0 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 77–89 m · Deepest record: 94 m

0–10 m: 4 records
10–20 m: 0 records
20–30 m: 0 records
30–40 m: 2 records
40–50 m: 3 records
50–60 m: 4 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 314 records
80–90 m: 558 records
90–100 m: 55 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 25–29 °C

24–26 °C: 838 records
26–28 °C: 10 records
28–30 °C: 3 records

Photos

Names and classification

English: Horseface unicornfish, Blunt Unicornfish, horseface unicorn, Horse-face Unicorn, horseface unicornfish

Names in 3 more languages

Spanish: Pez Unicornio Cara de Caballo
Filipino: Isdang ilong
Japanese: Moai-tenguhagi, Moaitenguhagi, モアイテングハギ

Other scientific names: Cyphomycter cavallo, Cyphomycter fageni, Rhinodactylus baixopindae

Similar species

Sleek unicornfish
Naso hexacanthus
Orangespine unicornfish
Naso lituratus
Blue-spine nosefish
Naso unicornis
White margin unicornfish
Naso annulatus
Humpback unicornfish
Naso brachycentron
Spotted unicornfish
Naso brevirostris

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
962 open-data records from 1952 to 2022.
Species data updated November 4, 2026.

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