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Fish

Orangespine unicornfish

Naso lituratus

Orangespine unicornfish with orange spines at the tail base
Photo: Rickard Zerpe

Orange blades at the base of a crescent-shaped tail give this algae-eater its name.

Local names
Ume tàrei

About this species

The body is grey-brown with an angular head, orange lips and a yellow line around the snout. The sharp structures near the tail are highlighted in orange. Males can develop long filaments from the tail’s tips.

Small groups feed on leafy algae in coral-rich lagoon areas, passes and outer slopes. The guide records the species from the surface to around 90 m. At night it withdraws into shelter among the reef.

  • Guide des poissons de Tahiti et ses îles, Indo-Pacific Fish conference Tahiti 2017, P. Bachet, T. Zysman, Y. Lefèvre, Au vent des îles
  • FishBase - Naso lituratus

It eats leafy algae and at night it takes refuge in the substrate.
Photo: B. Gratwicke

FishBase - Naso lituratus