Naso lopezi

Background

Naso lopezi was first formally described in 1923 by the Norwegian-born American ichthyologist Albert William Herre, with its type locality given as Ambil Island southwest of Manila Bay in the Philippines. This species is classified within the nominate subgenus of the genus Naso, which is the only genus in the subfamily Nasinae within the family Acanthuridae. The specific name honors G. A. Lopez, a specimen collector for the Philippine Bureau of Science, though it is not known whether he collected the type specimen; the type is thought to have been destroyed in the Second World War.

Description

The species has an elongate body with a depth that fits into its standard length between 3.3 and 3.7 times. It is one of the species in the genus Naso that does not possess a bony protuberance, or horn, on the forehead. The dorsal fin is supported by 5 spines and between 27 and 30 soft rays, while the anal fin is supported by 2 spines and 26 to 30 soft rays. The overall color is greyish with dense black spotting on the upper body and caudal fin, and it reaches a maximum published total length of 60 cm.

Distribution and habitat

Naso lopezi is found in the western Pacific Ocean, ranging as far north as Honshu in Japan, south to the Great Barrier Reef, the Capricorn Group, and reefs in the Coral Sea, and east to New Caledonia, with reports also from the Similan Islands in Thailand and Tonga. It typically inhabits areas of outer reef slopes with strong currents, usually at depths greater than 6 m. The species feeds largely on ctenophores and crustaceans, also consuming algae, diatoms, dinoflagellates, and molluscs, and has been observed gathering in large schools to feed during daylight hours in the Philippines, feeding in the upper water column at midday and near the bottom in early morning and late afternoon.