Naso tuberosus was first formally described in 1801 by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède with its type locality given as Mauritius.

There is a pair of bony plates on either side of the caudal peduncle and each has a keel with a forward projecting point.

[6] The overall colour is greyish with small blackish spots on the upper part of the body.

[7] A large black spot is located underneath and to the front of the base of the pectoral fins.

[7] This species is found mainly on coral reefs where it grazes on algae of the genus Caulerpa.