Description
The elegant unicornfish, Naso elegans, is a marine fish known for its distinctive coloration and markings. It has a dark snout, a yellow bar above the eyes, and a yellow dorsal fin with a narrow blue margin and a black submarginal band. The anal and pelvic fins are dark brown, while the caudal fin is yellowish with black upper and lower margins and a black submarginal band. It is also known by other names, including the Blonde Naso Tang and the Lipstick Surgeonfish.
Here's a more detailed description:
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Body Shape:
It has an oval-shaped, laterally flattened body.
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Coloration:
The overall color is greyish, with a dark snout separated from the grey head by a yellow bar at the eyes.
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Fins:
The dorsal fin is yellow with a narrow blue edge and a black submarginal band. The anal and pelvic fins are dark brown. The caudal fin is yellowish with black upper and lower margins and a black submarginal band, and can have long trailing filaments in males.
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Caudal Peduncle:
The caudal peduncle (the area connecting the body to the tail) has large keels, especially in males, and the males also have longer filaments growing from the caudal fin.
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Size:
It can reach a maximum total length of 45 cm, but more typically around 35 cm.
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Other features:
It lacks the prominent horn or protuberance on the forehead that is characteristic of some other Naso species.
