Finespotted Rabbitfish, Siganus punctatissimus Fowler & Bean 1929


Other Names: Fine-spotted Rabbitfish, Peppered Spinefoot

A Finespotted Rabbitfish, Siganus punctatissimus, in the Nggela Islands, Solomon Islands, May 2018. Source: Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org. License: CC By Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:
A dark purplish-brown rabbitfish covered in small close-set pale spots, and a broad brownish margin on a yellowish caudal fin.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2018, Siganus punctatissimus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1050

Finespotted Rabbitfish, Siganus punctatissimus Fowler & Bean 1929

More Info


Distribution

Offshore reefs of Western Australia, Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea, and the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, west Pacific - Indonesia, Philippines and New Guinea.
Adults are usually seen in pairs in deeper lagoosn and channel reefs, often near steep slopes.

Features

Dorsal fin XIII, 10; Anal fin VII, 9; Pectoral fin 16; Scale rows above lateral line 17-21; Vertebrae: 13. 
Spines stout, pungent, venomous. Preopercular angle 93°-109°. Cheeks completely scaled. Midline of thorax scaled; a row of scales absent along pelvic ridges. Anterior nostril with low rim; expanded posteriorly into a broad flap, reaching halfway to posterior nostril.

Feeding

Herbivore - feeds on benthic algae.

Species Citation

Siganus punctatissimus Fowler & Bean, 1929, Bull. U. S. Natl Mus. 100(8): 298, fig. 25. Type locality: Masinloc Bay, Zambales, Philippines. 

Author

Bray, D.J. 2018

Resources

Australian Faunal Directory

Finespotted Rabbitfish, Siganus punctatissimus Fowler & Bean 1929

References


Allen, G.R. 1993. Fishes of Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 44: 67-91.

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.

Allen, G.R. & Russell, B.C. 1986. Part VII Fishes. 79-103 in Berry, P.F. (ed.) Faunal Surveys of the Rowley Shoals, Scott Reef and Seringapatam Reef, northwestern Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 25: 1-106.

Carpenter, K.E. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 2016. Siganus punctatissimus (errata version published in 2017). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T69738727A115470762. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T69738727A69742624.en. Downloaded on 07 July 2018.

Fowler, H.W. & Bean, B.A. 1929. Contributions to the biology of the Philippine Archipelago and adjacent regions. The fishes of the series Capriformes, Ephippiformes and Squamipennes, collected by the United States Bureau of Fisheries Steamer Albatross, chiefly in Philippine seas and adjacent waters. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 100(8): 1-351 figs 1-25

Hutchins, J.B., Williams, D.McB., Newman, S.J., Cappo, M. & Speare, P. 1995. New records of fishes for the Rowley Shoals and Scott/Seringapatam Reefs, off north-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 17: 119-123.

Kuiter, R.H. & Debelius, H. 2001. Surgeonfishes, Rabbitfishes and Their Relatives. A comprehensive guide to Acanthuroidei. Chorleywood, U.K. : TMC Publishing 208 pp.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.

Russell, B.C., Larson, H.K., Hutchins, J.B. & Allen, G.R. 2005. Reef fishes of the Sahul Shelf. The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory Supplement 1 2005: 83-105.

Woodland, D.J. 1990. Revision of the fish family Siganidae with descriptions of two new species and comments on distribution and biology. Indo-Pacific Fishes 19: 1-136 figs 1-23, 11 pls

Woodland, D.J. 2001. Siganidae. pp. 3627-3650 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37438012

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Danger:Venomous spines

Depth:3-30 m

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:35 cm TL

Species Image Gallery

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map