Sleek unicornfish
Naso hexacanthus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Sleek unicornfish
- Scientific
- Naso hexacanthus
- Dhivehi
- ދަޅުނެތް ތުނބިDhalhu neiy thunbi
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 75 cm (fork length); commonly 50 cm (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 75 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 150 m (usually 10 to 137 m); also enters brackish water
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2010
Description
A sleek unicornfish without a horn, dark brown to bluish grey above and yellowish brown below, with dark edges to the gill cover. It forms large schools in mid-water off clear outer slopes, feeding on large zooplankton such as crab larvae and salps. Courting males flash a large pale blue patch on the head and upper body.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name dhalhu neiy thunbi (MRS 1997).
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Naso-hexacanthus.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ދަޅުނެތް_ތުނބި
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Maldives_sleek_unicornfish,_Naso_hexacanthus.jpg
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Dhalhu neiy thunbi' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ދަޅުނެތް ތުނބި' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form. FLAG: the source states no traditional name was recorded and this descriptive name was coined for the book; it is not an established fishermen's name.