Ocellated Notega

• Compressed cranium with a particularly resistant armor, made to withstand attacks from their prey.

• Cranial armor possess an extrusion jetting out of the frontal plate, in the post-temporal section; this horn is used for sexual selection.

 

• Large eyes adapted for both diurnal and nocturnal activity.

 

• Body rounded with compressed Gill tail; Gill fan moderately big, with high ridgesa and steep caudal drop.

 

• Dorsal fin subrectangular growing at the base of the Gill tail with sharp fin ends.

 

• Anal I and II both single.

• Anal II very enlarged terminating at the base of the Gill fan; both Anal fins have a sharp fin end.

The species will enter the mating season in mid-summer.   The mate selection is decided by the female; she will choose the male to partner with; the most contested males are the ones with bigger horn structures.   Once the mates have been selected, the mating can take place;   The small schools of Notega unicornis will mate near cryptic areas of the reefs, where the females will stay hidden in during the incubation process; once the eggs are close enough to hatch, around seven days after mating ended, the female will lay them in the cryptic area's walls, leaving them there to hatch;   During this time the males willò guard the area and collectively bring food to the females.   Once deposition has took place, the females will exit the hiding place and start foraging by themselves again.   The youngs will hatch three days later and they will be nursed by the school for the first two weeks of life, then they'll leave the parents to search for another school or form one of their own.

Ontogenesis not very marked outside of some minor changes.   Main change the species undergoes while growing is the thickening of the cranial armor, resulting in a heavier overall anterior section of the body.   Loss of natal aculeus after a few hours from birth.

The animal is Epipelagic and can be found at depths between 0 and 20 m.   They prefer warm and clean waters with plenty of coverage to hide in; the reefs they inhabit are of the rockier kind, with less sand and more hard bottoms.

Omnivorous species feeding on soft plantlife and invertebrates.   Notega unicornis will forage plants in the lower reefs mostly during daytime, when these plants are out of their shells and easier to pick; at night the animal will go hunting for invertebrates.   The main prey of this animal are Skinplates and surface sand creepers, however they will also hunt free swimming invertebrates and intestinal tube worms.

Sexual fertility at three months old.   periannial creature with no major changes in activity during the year.

Social animals that live in schools of thirty to fourty specimens of mixed sex.   Restricted social interactions outside of the mating season.   They'll protect eachother with the ocellated color pattern of the body, seeming like a much larger group of bigger animals than what they truly are.   Notega unicornis will often stay close to bigger animals, seeking shelter from predators; will leave the vicinity of such animals mainly at night, when most predators rest.

Popular in the pet trade as a home aquarium animal; its vibrant colors and playful nature make it a favourite by children.   Several breeds can be found on the market; most popular at the time of writing being the Red Fluo and Unicorn Extreme (possessing an oversized horn).

Used mainly in the pet trade.   In some markets in seaside towns they are also sold dried out as a souvenir to tourists.

Meadow Island and the southern reefs of the Nuwadi and Irobian Ocean.  

Exceptional eyesight adapted to a cathemeral lifestyle; good smell.

These animals are in a mutualistic relationship with the armored plants composing the reefs, keeping them clean from plant parasites in exchange for protection during the incubation period. They are also in a mutualistic relationship with the bigger amphibians; they keep them clean from skin parasites and Intestinal Tube Worms in exchange for protection from predators.