Coral Rabbitfish, Siganus corallinus (Valenciennes 1835)

Other Names: Bluespotted Spinefoot, Coral Rabbit-fish, Coral Spinefoot, Ocellated Spinefoot, Orange Spinefoot, Pacific Coral Rabbitfish

A Coral Rabbitfish, Siganus corallinus, at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. Source: Graham Edgar / Reef Life Survey. License: CC by Attribution

Summary:

An orange-yellow rabbitfish, with small blue ocelli on the head, chest and sides, and a dark smudge-like mark around the eye. Small juveniles have narrow blue vertical lines on the sides that fragment into ocelli with growth.

A sting from the venomous spines of a Coral Rabbitfish may be very painful.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2020, Siganus corallinus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 20 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/4733

Coral Rabbitfish, Siganus corallinus (Valenciennes 1835)

More Info

Distribution	Known in Australia from offshore reefs of north Western Australia (Rowley Shoals and Scott Reef) and Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, and the northern Great Barrier Reef to the Capricorn Group, Queensland; also Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. Adults are usually seen in pairs in coral rich areas, while small schools of juveniles often inhabit seagrass beds and branching corals on shallow reef areas.
Feeding	Herbivore - feeds on benthic algae. Small juveniles browse on epiphytic growth on seagrasses, while adults consume coarser macroalgae.
Species Citation	Amphacanthus corallinus Valenciennes 1835, Histoire Naturelle des Poissons 10: 139. Type locality: Seychelles and Java.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2020
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Coral Rabbitfish, Siganus corallinus (Valenciennes 1835)

References

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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.