Bluetail unicornfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Acanthuriformes
Family: Acanthuridae
Genus: Naso
Subgenus: Axinurus
Species:
N. caeruleacauda
Binomial name
Naso caeruleacauda

The bluetail unicornfish (Naso caeruleacauda), also known as the blue 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 western central Pacific Ocean.

Taxonomy

The bluetail unicornfish was first formally described in 1994 by the American ichthyologist John Ernest Randall with its type locality given as Dumaguete on Negros in the Philippines.[2] This species is classified in the subgenus Axinurus within the genus Naso. [3] The genus Naso is the only genus in the subfamily Nasinae in the family Acanthuridae.[4]

Etymology

The bluetail unicornfish has the specific name caeruleacauda and this means "blue tail", an allusion to its "most striking color feature", the blue caudal fin,[3]

Description

The bluetail unicornfish has its dorsal fin supported by 4 or 5 spines and 28 to 30 soft rays while the anal fin contains 2 spines and 29 soft rays. Their body has a standard length which is between 2.75 and 2.8 times its depth. The dorsal profile of the head between the upper lip and the intraorbital space is straight. There is a bulge between the eyes and the nostrils.[5] The caudal fin is blue and the colour in life is bluish grey or brownish grey, paler in colour, even yellowish, on the lower body. There is a yellow patch beneath the pectoral fins.[6] The maximum published total length of this species is 40 cm (16 in) and the maximum weight is 1.1 kg (2.4 lb).[5]

Distribution and habitat

The bluetail unicornfish is found in the western central Pacific in Indonesia, the Philippines and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. It has also been recorded off northeastern Madagascar.[1] This species forms schools over steep seaward sloped, typically at depths in excess of 15 m (49 ft).[7]

References

  1. 1 2 Abesamis, R.; Clements, K.D.; Choat, J.H.; et al. (2012). "Naso caeruleacauda". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012: e.T177968A1505905. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012.RLTS.T177968A1505905.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Naso". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (12 January 2021). "Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 2): Families EPHIPPIDAE, LEIOGNATHIDAE, SCATOPHAGIDAE, ANTIGONIIDAE, SIGANIDAE, CAPROIDAE, LUVARIDAE, ZANCLIDAE and ACANTHURIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  4. ↑ J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. pp. 497–502. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  5. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2023). "Naso caeruleacauda" in FishBase. February 2023 version.
  6. ↑ John E. Randall (1994). "Unicornfishes of the Subgenus Axinurus (Perciformes: Acanthuridae: Naso), with Description of a New Species". Copeia. 1994 (1): 116–124. doi:10.2307/1446677.
  7. ↑ Dianne J. Bray. "Naso caeruleacauda". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 13 July 2023.


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