Blue-spine nosefish
Naso unicornis
- Usual depth3–17 m
- Water temperature22–30 °C
- Best monthsSeptember
- How commonCommon
About this species
The bluespine unicornfish, also known as the short-nose 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 Indo-Pacific. It is occasionally found in the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 70 cm in length. It is called kala ('thorn') in Hawaii, dawa in New Caledonia, and ta or tā in Fiji. However the name kala refers to all three species of horned unicornfish found around Hawaii.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Bluespine unicornfish”, 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: 44 records
- February: 278 records
- March: 370 records
- April: 358 records
- May: 193 records
- June: 279 records
- July: 952 records
- August: 1,358 records
- September: 2,568 records
- October: 1,250 records
- November: 137 records
- December: 39 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 3–17 m · Deepest record: 1,000 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 22–30 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Blue-spine nosefish, Bluespine unicornfish, Blue-spine unicornfish, Long-snouted nosefish, Long-snouted unicornfish, bluespine unicornfish, brown unicornfish, Brown Unicornfish, Bluespine unicornfish, Humphead Unicornfish, Longhorn Unicornfish, Longnose Unicornfish, Unicorn Tang
Names in 3 more languages
- Spanish
- Barbero de Aguijón Azul, Berbero de Aguijon Azul
- French
- Corne, Dawa, Dawa, Licorne, Nason vert, Licorne, Nason à Eperons Bleus, Nason à éperons bleus, Nason brun, Nason Vert
- Japanese
- Tenguhagi, テングハギ
Other scientific names: Acanthurus unicornis, Chaetodon unicornis, Naso unicornus
Similar species
- Sleek unicornfish
Naso hexacanthus
- Orangespine unicornfish
Naso lituratus
- 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).
- 10,370 open-data records from 1775 to 2023.
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