Rabbitfish

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This article is about bony fishes of the family Siganidae. For cartilaginous fishes of the order Chimaeriformes, see Chimaera.
Rabbitfishes
Coral reef with Longnose butterflyfish, Forcipiger longirostris (top) and Siganus sp. (bottom).
Coral reef with Longnose butterflyfish, Forcipiger longirostris (top) and Siganus sp. (bottom).
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Siganidae
Genus: Siganus
Forsskål, 1775
Species

See text.

Rabbitfishes are perciform fishes in the family Siganidae.

Rabbitfishes are found in shallow lagoons in the Indo-Pacific and eastern Mediterranean. Some live in schools, while others live more solitary lives among the corals. Rabbitfishes have small, hare-like mouths, large dark eyes, and a peaceful temperament which gives them their name. They are colorful, but have well-developed, venomous dorsal and anal fin spines. Another unusual feature among rabbitfishes is their pelvic fins, which are formed from two spines. All rabbitfish are diurnal and herbivorous, feeding on algae in the wild. In aquaria, they should be fed a variety of fresh vegetables and algae.

[edit] Species

There are 28 species. In some classifications, the family is split into two genera, Siganus and Lo. Here we follow FishBase and ITIS and place all species in the single genus Siganus.

  • Streamlined spinefoot, Siganus argenteus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825).
  • White-spotted spinefoot, Siganus canaliculatus (Park, 1797).
  • Blue-spotted spinefoot, Siganus corallinus (Valenciennes, 1835).
  • Barred spinefoot, Siganus doliatus Guérin-Méneville, 1829.
  • Mottled spinefoot, Siganus fuscescens (Houttuyn, 1782).
  • Orange-spotted spinefoot, Siganus guttatus (Bloch, 1787).
  • Streaked spinefoot, Siganus javus (Linnaeus, 1766).
  • Labyrinth spinefoot, Siganus labyrinthodes (Bleeker, 1853).
  • Golden-lined spinefoot, Siganus lineatus (Valenciennes, 1835).
  • Dusky spinefoot, Siganus luridus (Rüppell, 1829).
  • Magnificent rabbitfish, Siganus magnificus (Burgess, 1977).
  • Black foxface, Siganus niger Woodland, 1990.
  • Blackeye rabbitfish, Siganus puelloides Woodland & Randall, 1979.
  • Masked spinefoot, Siganus puellus (Schlegel, 1852).
  • Peppered spinefoot, Siganus punctatissimus Fowler & Bean, 1929.
  • Goldspotted spinefoot, Siganus punctatus (Schneider & Forster, 1801).
  • Variegated spinefoot, Siganus randalli Woodland, 1990.
  • Marbled spinefoot, Siganus rivulatus Forsskål, 1775.
  • Little spinefoot, Siganus spinus (Linnaeus, 1758).
  • Brownspotted spinefoot, Siganus stellatus (Forsskål, 1775).
  • Shoemaker spinefoot, Siganus sutor (Valenciennes, 1835).
  • Threeblotched rabbitfish, Siganus trispilos Woodland & Allen, 1977.
  • Blotched foxface, Siganus unimaculatus (Evermann & Seale, 1907).
  • Bicolored foxface, Siganus uspi Gawel & Woodland, 1974.
  • Vermiculated spinefoot, Siganus vermiculatus (Valenciennes, 1835).
  • Barhead spinefoot, Siganus virgatus (Valenciennes, 1835).
  • Foxface rabbitfish, Siganus vulpinus (Schlegel & Müller, 1845).
  • Siganus woodlandi Randall & Kulbicki, 2005.

[edit] References

  • "Siganidae". FishBase. Ed. Rainer Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.