You can sponsor this page

Naso elegans (Rüppell, 1829)

Elegant unicornfish
Add your observation in Fish Watcher
Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Naso elegans   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
Upload your photos and videos
Pictures | Videos | Stamps, coins, misc. | Google image
Image of Naso elegans (Elegant unicornfish)
Naso elegans
Picture by Rusconi, G.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Acanthuriformes (Surgeonfishes) > Acanthuridae (Surgeonfishes, tangs, unicornfishes) > Nasinae
Etymology: Naso: Latin, nasus = nose (Ref. 45335)elegans: From the Latin for choice, fine, or nice (Ref. 37792).
More on author: Rüppell.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 5 - 30 m (Ref. 90102). Tropical; 30°N - 35°S, 30°E - 118°E (Ref. 37792)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indian Ocean: Red Sea south to Durban, South Africa and east through the islands of the western Indian Ocean to southwestern Indonesia, at least to Bali.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 45.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 37792); common length : 35.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 30573)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 6; Dorsal soft rays (total): 26 - 30; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 27 - 30. Dorsal fin yellow with a blue line at base and a black band above this; anal and pelvic fins dark brown; dorsal and anal fins with a narrow blue margin and black submarginal line; caudal fin yellowish with black upper and lower margins and a submarginal black band posteriorly (Ref. 37792). Caudal fin emarginate with adult males having trailing filaments from each corner (Ref. 37792).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Inhabits coastal and sheltered reef flats in small groups and schools in oceanic locations (Ref. 48637). Also found in rocky bottoms in about 5-30 m (Ref. 90102). Feeds on benthic algae (Ref. 37792).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Randall, John E. | Collaborators

Randall, J.E., 2001. Surgeonfishes of Hawai'i and the world.. Mutual Publishing and Bishop Museum Press, Hawai'i. 123 p. (Ref. 37792)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 06 May 2010

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Collaborators
References
References

Tools

Special reports

Download XML

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | DORIS | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 24.8 - 28.7, mean 27.1 °C (based on 172 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.02344 (0.01004 - 0.05476), b=2.97 (2.77 - 3.17), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  2.0   ±0.00 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate vulnerability (42 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Medium.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 41.6 [21.5, 68.7] mg/100g; Iron = 0.541 [0.290, 0.972] mg/100g; Protein = 18.2 [16.9, 19.4] %; Omega3 = 0.0915 [, ] g/100g; Selenium = 33.6 [17.0, 66.5] μg/100g; VitaminA = 38.8 [8.8, 158.6] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.34 [0.88, 2.05] mg/100g (wet weight);