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Acanthuriformes (Surgeonfishes) >
Siganidae (Rabbitfishes)
Etymology: Siganus: Latin, siganus = a fish, rabbit fish; by the similarity of the nose (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated, usually 3 - 30 m (Ref. 27115). Tropical; 24°C - 28°C (Ref. 27115); 15°N - 25°S
Western Pacific: endemic to Fiji, with strays recorded from New Caledonia.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 24.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9710)
Dorsal spines (total): 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Anal spines: 7; Anal soft rays: 9; Vertebrae: 23. Color dark purplish brown except pectoral fins, soft portions of dorsal and anal fins, caudal fin, and posterior part of body; demarcation of 2 colors is sharp. Preopercular angle 110°-114°; strong overlapping scales cover cheeks, 9-10 rows deep below center of orbit; midline of thorax fully scaled. Spines stout, pungent and venomous. Snout slightly shorter and less tubular, less concave above the nostrils. Caudal fin slightly incised.
Body shape (shape guide): short and / or deep; Cross section: compressed.
Found among hard corals at the faces of drop-offs at reef edges or in deep pools inside reef crests. Juveniles form schools, adults occur in pairs. Feeds on seaweeds (Ref. 9813).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Woodland, D.J., 1990. Revision of the fish family Siganidae with descriptions of two new species and comments on distribution and biology. Indo-Pac. Fish. (19):136 p. (Ref. 1419)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Venomous
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
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