Naso (fish)
| Naso Temporal range: Eocene to present | |
|---|---|
| Bluespine unicornfish (N. unicornis) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acanthuriformes |
| Family: | Acanthuridae |
| Subfamily: | Nasinae Fowler & Bean, 1929 |
| Genus: | Naso Lacépède, 1801 |
| Type species | |
| Acanthurus fronticornis Lacepède, 1801 | |
| Species | |
|
20., see text | |
| Synonyms | |
|
List
| |
Naso is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family, Acanthuridae, the unicornfishes, surgeonfishes and tangs. The fishes in this genus are known commonly as unicornfishes because of the "rostral protuberance", a hornlike extension of the forehead present in some species.
Unicorn fish are popular with spearfishermen and may be cooked by grilling them whole. Unicornfish primarily live around coral reefs and eat mostly algae.
This genus is distributed across the Indo-Pacific from Africa to Hawaii.