| Family: |
Siganidae (Rabbitfishes) |
| Max. size: |
25 cm SL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
reef-associated; marine; depth range 0 - 15 m |
| Distribution: |
Western Pacific: scarcely entering the Indo-Malayan area (except eastern Indonesia), north to Palau and Kosrae, south to northwestern Australia and Tonga (Ref. 43045). Replaced by closely related Siganus virgatus from Sulawesi and the Philippines to south India (Ref. 37816). |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 13-13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-10; Anal spines: 7-7; Anal soft rays: 9-9; Vertebrae: 13-13. Body blue above, silvery white below; from nape through eye to chin a seal brown band, another from base of 4th-5th dorsal spines to just below of pectoral fin. Spines stout, pungent and venomous. Preopercular 97°-110°. Strong scales cover cheeks. Midline of thorax fully scaled; sometimes a few scales absent from pelvic ridges. |
| Biology: |
Inhabits coral-rich areas of lagoons and seaward reefs. Juveniles form schools. Pairs form at 7 cm; but these pairs continue to form loose schools, sometimes with juvenile scarids, to feed in areas being flooded by the tide. At 20 cm, isolated pairs in deep water lagoons or on drop-offs at reef-edges feed on benthic seaweeds (Ref. 9813, 48637). Anterolateral glandular grooves with venom gland (Ref. 57406). Very closely related to the blue-spotted S. virgatus (Valenciennes) and apparently hybridizes at times with it in the Indo-Malayan region (Ref. 2334). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 128797. |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 12 March 2015 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
venomous |
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