Paletail Unicornfish

Naso brevirostris has 6 spines and between 27 and 29 soft rays supporting the dorsal fin while the anal fin is supported by 2 spines and 27 to 29 soft rays. The depth of the body fits into its standard length between roughly 2 and 2.7 times. The snout is very short in length and is very steep, almost vertical. Subadults and adults have long, tapering bony protuberances in front of their eyes which may extend past one's mouth by as much as the length of the head, first appearing as a bump in individuals of around 10 cm (3.9 in) total length. A pair of bony plates with a poorly developed keels are on each side of the caudal peduncle and the caudal fin varies from truncate to slightly rounded.

Naso brevirostris is widespread throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea south along the eastern coast of Africa as far as Durban in South Africa and eastward across the Indian Ocean into the Western Pacific Ocean, extending east to the Pitcairn Islands and the Hawaiian Islands, north to southern Japan and south to Australia. In Australia the distribution goes from Ningaloo Reef around the northern tropical coasts to the northern Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea as far south as Moreton Bay in Queensland, as well as in the region of Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. In the eastern Pacific it is found around the Galápagos Islands. These fish live in lagoon and seaward reefs down to depths of 46 m (151 ft).

Naso brevirostris is caught for food using fish traps and spears, although there have been cases of ciguatera poisoning after eating this fish. It rarely appears in the aquarium trade. This species has a wide range and populations appear to be stable so the IUCN classify it as Least Concern.