Humphead Unicornfish

Naso tuberosus is a tropical fish found in coral reefs in the central Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Description

It has a greyish body with small blackish spots, especially dorsoanteriorly, and a large bulbous protuberance at the front of the snout in adults. Dorsal spines (total): 5; Dorsal soft rays (total): 26-29; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 26 - 28. In Australia, the Humphead Unicornfish has been confused with other species, and records of this species from eastern Australia, and most records from Western Australia, are misidentifications of Naso tonganus.

Distribution

Western Indian Ocean: Mozambique, Mauritius, Reunion, and Seychelles. Probably more wide-ranging in the area. Western Central Pacific: Guam and Australia.

Habitat

It occurs in coral reefs. It feeds primarily on Caulerpa species of green algae.