Blonde Naso Tang

Naso lituratus

Blonde Naso Tang

Naso lituratus

Other Common Names
Pacific Orange-spine Unicornfish, Barcheek Unicornfish

Connected Coasts

Other Common Names

Pacific Orange-spine Unicornfish, Barcheek Unicornfish

At the Aquarium

Connected Coasts

Appearance

The blonde naso tang is dark grayish brown with a narrow curved yellow band from the corner of its mouth to below its eye. It has orange lips and its anal fin is also orange. Its dorsal fin is black with a pale blue line at the base and a white outer edge. Its tail fin is black with a yellow stripe at the end of the fin and an orange marking near the base.

Males and females can be told apart; males have a long caudal filament which is a thin, flexible extension of the tail fin.

The size of blonde naso tang varies between locations. This species has been recorded to grow to 37cm at the Great Barrier Reef and 27cm in Guam.

Habitat

Coral reefs and rocky bottoms. Usually found at depths less than 30 m but has been recorded as deep as 90 m.

Diet

Macroalgae, leafy brown algae such as Sargassum and Dictyota.

Life History

Blonde naso tang spawn in pairs or groups with males and females releasing sperm and eggs into the water. Once hatched, they enter a larval stage where they drift with ocean currents. As they grow they become better swimmers and eventually settle near coral reefs. Newly settled blonde naso tang prefer to live amongst lots of coral cover.

Blonde naso tang are sometimes seen in large groups but they also live alone.

Their maximum recorded age varies depending on location: 29 years from the Great Barrier Reef and 15 years in Cocos-Keeling.

IUCN Status

Least Concern

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Blonde naso tang are common in fish markets in the Philippines and other parts of its range. In Atafu, blonde naso tang are one of the main species caught in a community fishing activity involving over 100 people. Blonde naso tang help remove algae that could impact coral growth and health.

Widespread from Cocos-Keeling in the eastern Indian Ocean to French Polynesia and the Pitcairn group, northwards to Honshu, Japan, southwards to Ningaloo Reef, southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia, New Caledonia and Rapa.

This animal is not native to the Oregon Coast, however is found in the larger Pacific Ocean. It lives in the Aquarium as part of our Connected Coasts gallery.

Despite being a part of the Naso genus, commonly known as unicornfish for the horn-like feature on their forehead, the blonde naso tang is hornless.

Citations & Other Resources

McIlwain, J., J.H. Choat, R. Abesamis, K.D. Clements, R. Myers, C. Nanola, L.A. Rocha, B. Russell, and B. Stockwell. 2012. Naso lituratus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012.
Myers, R. F. 1991. Micronesian reef fishes : a practical guide to the identification of the coral reef fishes of the tropical central and western Pacific (2nd ed.). Coral Graphics.
Randall, J. E. (2001). Surgeonfishes of the world. Mutual Pub.

Blonde Naso Tang

Blonde Naso Tang

Other Common Names

At the Aquarium

Appearance

Habitat

Diet

Life History

IUCN Status

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Citations & Other Resources

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