Spotted Rabbitfish, Siganus punctatus (Bloch & Schneider 1801)

Other Names: Gold-spot Spinefoot, Goldspotted Rabbitfish, Gold-spotted Rabbitfish, Goldspotted Spinefoot, Gold-spotted Spinefoot, Punctated Spinefoot, Spotted Rabbit-fish, Spotted Spinefoot, Yellow-spotted Spinefoot

Gold-spotted Rabbitfish, Siganus punctatus, at Peleliu, Koror Island, Palau. Source: Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist. License: CC BY Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:

A greyish rabbitfish with a pattern of close-set dark-edged brown spots covering head, body and fins, and sometimes a pale saddle on the caudal-fin base and a large ocellated spot behind the upper edge of the gill cover. Juveniles have larger and fewer spots.

Cite this page as:

Dianne J. Bray, Siganus punctatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 13 Jan 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1885

Spotted Rabbitfish, Siganus punctatus (Bloch & Schneider 1801)

More Info

Distribution	Rottnest Island, WA, to North West Solitary Island, NSW, including Rowley Shoals and Scott Reef, WA, Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea; also Coringa-Herald Cays and Lihou Reef, Coral Sea and Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Indian Ocean. Occurs elsewhere in the tropical, West-central Pacific. Inhabits coral areas in clear lagoons and on seaward reefs, usually in pairs as subadults and adults; juveniles in schools of up to 50 individuals..
Features	Dorsal fin XIII, 10; Anal fin VII, 9; Pectoral fin 16-18; Scale rows above lateral line 23-27; Vertebrae 13. Stout, venomous spines not so pungent. Preopercular angle 87°-105°. Strong scales fully cover the cheeks. Midline of thorax scaled but not pelvic ridges.
Species Citation	Amphacanthus punctatus Schneider & Forster, 1801, Systema Ichthyol.: 210. Type locality: Nomuka Island, Tonga (lectotype).
Author	Dianne J. Bray

Spotted Rabbitfish, Siganus punctatus (Bloch & Schneider 1801)

References

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