ACANTHURIDAE


Naso vlamingii
(photo by Ukkrit Satapoomin)


Naso vlamingii
(Valenciennes, 1835)
Bignose Unicornfish

D VI, 26-27; A II, 27-29; P1 17-19.

Body deep, 2.5-2.6 in SL in adults. A prominent convex protuberance on forehead of adults. Caudal fin slightly emarginated in young, truncate to slightly rounded with long filaments in adults. Caudal peduncle with 2 bony plates, each having a large keel with a forward-projecting point in adults. Color: ground color of adults may change rapidly from dark graybrown to pale bluish gray; vertical, dark bluish lines on side of body with small, dark bluish spots above and below; caudal fin bluish basally, gray in broad middle area, with a broad yellowish border. Size: attaining to ca. 55 cm. Distribution: Indian and Pacific Oceans, including east coast of Africa, Japan, New Caledonia and Galapagos Islands. Remarks: usually found in open water in outer-reef areas.