Main identification features
- head: no horn, blue stripe and spots
- body - grey + blue spots and bars
- c: long filaments
- tail base: 2 keels
Vlaming's unicornfish Vlaming's bignose unicornfish
Body elongate, oval; snout short, with prominent hump just below eye; teeth small, conical, with tips slightly depressed, smooth or with slight denticulations; tail straight to slightly rounded, with long filament from each corner; dorsal VI, 26-27, fin elevated; anal II, 27-29; pectoral 17-19 rays; 2 plates on each side of narrow tail base, each with knife-like, forward pointed keel.
Yellow-brown, with irregular thin blue bars along flank, and small blue spots above and below bars and on head; broad blue band before eye; lips blue; dorsal and anal yellow-brown with thin blue margins; tail dark, yellow rear border, filaments blue; can change color to overall brilliant blue; juveniles brown with scattered small dark spots.
Size: 60 cm.
Habitat: rocky and coral reefs; juveniles benthic on sheltered habitats and rubble slopes; adults in midwater near exposed reef fronts.
Depth: 1-50 m; juveniles usually 5-15 m; adults usually 10-25 m.
An Indo-Pacific species; recorded as a vagrant from the Galapagos Islands.
Attributes
Abundance: Common.
Cites: Not listed.
Climate Zone: Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo).
Depth Range Max: 50 m.
Depth Range Min: 1 m.
Diet: pelagic fish larvae; benthic microalgae; zooplankton; benthic macroalgae.
Eastern Pacific Range: Northern limit=2; Southern limit=-2; Western limit=-93; Eastern limit=-90; Latitudinal range=4; Longitudinal range=3.
Egg Type: Pelagic; Pelagic larva.
Feeding Group: Herbivore; Planktivore.
FishBase Habitat: Reef Associated.
Global Endemism: All Pacific (West + Central + East); Indo-Pacific only (Indian + Pacific Oceans); TEP non-endemic; "Transpacific" (East + Central &/or West Pacific); All species.
Habitat: Corals; Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom); Rocks; Reef (rock &/or coral); Reef only.
Inshore Offshore: Inshore; Inshore Only.
IUCN Red List: Not evaluated / Listed.
Length Max: 60 cm.
Regional Endemism: Island (s) only; Island (s); Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic; Eastern Pacific non-endemic; All species.
Residency: Vagrant.
Salinity: Marine; Marine Only.
Water Column Position: Bottom; Mid Water; Near Bottom; Near Surface; Bottom + water column;
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- Cuvier , G. and Valenciennes, A., 1835., Histoire naturelle des poissons. Tome dixième. Suite du livre neuvième. Scombéroïdes. Livre dixième. De la famille des Teuthyes. Livre onzième. De la famille des Taenioïdes. Livre douzième. Des Athérines., Histoire Naturelle Des Poissons, 10:1-482.
- McCosker , J.E. and Humann, P.H., 1996., New records of Galápagos fishes., Charles Darwin Foundation, Noticias de Galápagos., 56:18-26.
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