Masked Rabbitfish, Siganus puellus (Schlegel 1852)

Other Names: Bluelined Rabbitfish, Blue-lined Rabbitfish, Blue-lined Spinefoot, Masked Rabbit-fish, Masked Spinefoot

Masked Rabbitfish, Siganus puellus, on Mantis Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, December 1999. Source: Erik Schlogl / iNaturalist.org. License: CC By Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:

A yellow to yellowish-orange rabbitfish fading to silvery white below, with a prominent diagonal blackish bar on the head, and wavy blue lines on the body.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2018, Siganus puellus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 20 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/4737

Masked Rabbitfish, Siganus puellus (Schlegel 1852)

More Info

Distribution	Offshore reefs of Western Australia, Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea, and the northern Great Barrier Reef to the Capricorn Group, Queensland; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean. Elsewhere the species is widespread in the Indo-west Pacific at depths to about 30 m. Pairs inhabit rich coral areas in clear lagoons and seaward reefs. Juveniles often form large schools in areas dominated by Acropora corals in lagoons and on outer reef flats.
Features	Dorsal fin XIII, 10; Anal fin VII, 9; Pectoral fin 15-17; Vertebrae 13; Scale rows above lateral line 18-25. Spines stout and venomous. Preopercular angle 101°-111°. Cheeks fully covered with strong scales. Midline of thorax scaled; scaled pelvic ridges may interrupt scale row pattern. Low rim of anterior nostril expanded posteriorly into a short, broad triangular flap.
Species Citation	Amphacanthus puellus Schlegel, 1852, Bijdragen tot de Dierkunde 1: 39, fig. 2. Type locality: Ternate or Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2018
Resources	Australian Faunal Directory

Masked Rabbitfish, Siganus puellus (Schlegel 1852)

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. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.

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.

Allen, G.R. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1994. Fishes of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 412: 1-21.

Barton, O. 1950. A new Siganus, from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. American Museum Novitates 1464: 1-2 (described as Siganus hexacanthus) http://hdl.handle.net/2246/4383 Open access

Carpenter, K.E. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 2016. Siganus puellus (errata version published in 2017). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T69738690A115470521. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T69738690A69742619.en. Downloaded on 07 July 2018.
Coleman, N. 1981. Australian Sea Fishes North of 30°S. Lane Cove, NSW : Doubleday Australia Pty Ltd 297 pp.

Halstead, B.W., Auerbach, P.S. & Campbell, D.R. 1990. A colour atlas of dangerous marine animals. Wolfe Medical Publications Ltd, W.S. Cowell Ltd, Ipswich, England. 192 pp.

Johnson, J.W. & Gill, A.C. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of Sweers Island, Gulf of Carpentaria. Gulf of Carpentaria Scientific Study Report. Geography Monograph Series. Brisbane: Royal Geographic Society of Queensland. pp. 239-260.

Kuiter, R.H. 1992. Tropical Reef-Fishes of the Western Pacific, Indonesia and Adjacent Waters. Jakarta : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama 314 pp. pls.

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp.

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

Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293

Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 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. 1983. Annotated checklist of the coral reef fishes in the Capricorn-Bunker group, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Special Publication Series 1: 1-184 figs 1-2

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.

Schlegel, H. 1852. Over twee nieuwe soorten van visschen. Bijdragen tot de Dierkunde 1: 38-40 1 fig.

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.