Elegant Unicornfish darting over the rocky shallows

Elegant Unicornfish darting over the rocky shallows

Elegant Unicornfish as it swims out over the rocky shallows towards the reef drop-off, showing the florescent orange and yellow details along its body and face. Also known by a wide variety of names due to its colourful appeal, the bright orange highlights of the Elegant Unicornfish provide dramtic contrast to the overal subtle hues of its colourings. Elegant Unicornfish were originally thought to be the Indian Ocean colour variant of Naso lituratus, but are now considered to be a seperate species.

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Elegant Unicornfish Facts
Other names: Orangespine Unicornfish, Lipstick Surgeonfish, Indian orange-spine Unicorn, Smoothheaded Unicornfish
Scientific name: Naso elegans
Family: Acanthuridae (Surgeonfishes, tangs, unicornfishes)
Max. size: 45 cm
Depth: 5 - 30 metres
Diet: Benthic algae
Habitat: Coastal and sheltered reef flats, rocky lagoon bottoms, seaward reefs
Distribution: Indian Ocean: Red Sea south to Durban, South Africa east to islands of the western Indian Ocean to southwestern Indonesia, at least to Bali.