Orangespine unicornfish
Naso lituratus
- Usual depth5–22 m
- Water temperature24–30 °C
- Best monthsApril and September
- How commonCommon
About this species
Naso lituratus, also known as the clown unicornfish, orangespined unicornfish, orangespine unicornfish, black-finned unicornfish, Pacific orangespined unicornfish, blackfinned unicornfish or the stripefaced unicornfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, which includes the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. It is native to the eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean, where it is found in coral reefs, often in pairs.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Naso lituratus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 831 records
- February: 855 records
- March: 1,634 records
- April: 3,212 records
- May: 1,885 records
- June: 1,769 records
- July: 1,695 records
- August: 1,646 records
- September: 2,010 records
- October: 1,094 records
- November: 252 records
- December: 73 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 5–22 m · Deepest record: 51 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 24–30 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Orangespine unicornfish, Barcheek Unicornfish, Black-finned Unicornfish, Clown Surgeonfish, Clown Tang, Clown Unicornfish, Lipstick Surgeonfish, Masked Unicornfish, Naso trang, Orange Spine Surgeonfish, Orange-spine Unicorn, orangespine unicornfish, Orange-spine Unicornfish, Pacific orange-spine Unicorn, Pacific Orange-spine Unicornfish, Pacific Orangespine Unicornfish, Poll Unicornfish, Redlip Surgeonfish, Smooth-headed Unicornfish, Smooth-head Unicornfish, Striped-faced Unicornfish, striped-face unicornfish, Striped Unicornfish, Stripe-faced Unicorn-fish, Stripe-faced Unicorn Fish, Stripe-face Unicornfish
Names in 8 more languages
- German
- Gelbklingen-Nasendoktorfisch, Nashornfisch, Ungehörnter Hornbader
- Spanish
- Barbero de Aguijón Naranja, Pez Unicornio de Espina Naranja
- Filipino
- Indangan, Isdang ilong, Labahita, Silba, Tudluan, Yapot
- French
- Nason à éperons orange, Nason à éperons orange du Pacifique, Nason à Eperons Oranges, Nason à éperons oranges
- Japanese
- Miyako tengu hagi, Miyako-tenguhagi, Miyakotenguhagi, ミヤコテングハギ
- Korean
- 제주표문쥐치
- Thai
- ปลายูนิคอร์นหัวเรียบ
- Simplified Chinese
- 黑背鼻魚
Other scientific names: Acanthurus lituratus, Aspisurus carolinarum, Callicanthus literatus, Callicanthus lituratus, Cyphomycter eoume, Monoceros garretti, Naso literatus, Prionurus eoume
Similar species
- Sleek unicornfish
Naso hexacanthus
- Blue-spine nosefish
Naso unicornis
- White margin unicornfish
Naso annulatus
- Humpback unicornfish
Naso brachycentron
- Spotted unicornfish
Naso brevirostris
- Humpnose unicornfish
Naso tuberosus
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).
- 19,846 open-data records from 1801 to 2023.
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