SIGANUS VULPINUS - (SCHLEGEL & MULLER, 1845)
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Acanthuriformes (Order) > Siganidae (Family) > Siganus (Genus)
Picot renard, Black-face rabbitfish, Common foxface, Foxface, Fox-face, Foxface rabbitfish, Fuchsgesicht, Dachsgesicht, Gelbes Dachsgesicht, Rävhuvudfisk, 狐篮子鱼, 狐面籃子魚,
Synonymes
Amphacanthus vulpinus (Schlegel & Müller, 1845)
Lo vulpinus (Schlegel & Müller, 1845)
Teuthis tubulosa (Gronow, 1854)
Teuthis vulpina (Schlegel & Müller, 1845)
Teuthis vulpinus (Schlegel & Müller, 1845)
Picot renard, Black-face rabbitfish, Common foxface, Foxface, Fox-face, Foxface rabbitfish, Fuchsgesicht, Dachsgesicht, Gelbes Dachsgesicht, Rävhuvudfisk, 狐篮子鱼, 狐面籃子魚,
Synonymes
Amphacanthus vulpinus (Schlegel & Müller, 1845)
Lo vulpinus (Schlegel & Müller, 1845)
Teuthis tubulosa (Gronow, 1854)
Teuthis vulpina (Schlegel & Müller, 1845)
Teuthis vulpinus (Schlegel & Müller, 1845)
-----------------------------
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Anal spines: 7; Anal soft rays: 9; Vertebrae: 13; Pectoral fin rays: 16-17 (usually: 16); Scale rows above lateral line: 16-20; Body Depth: 1.9-2.4 in SL; Snout long: 1.7-1.95 in HL and attenuate. Body deep and compressed. Profile of head descending at an angle of about 45° to level of eye, concave before eyes and especially concave behind chin, creating a tubulate snout. A forward-directed spine in front of dorsal fin, imbedded in nape; Third to eighth dorsal-fin spine longest, all of which subequal, and slightly longer than (1.1-1.3 times) last dorsal-fin spine; Soft parts of dorsal and anal fins high, longest dorsal-fin ray: 1-1.2 times the length of longest dorsal-fin spine; Caudal fin only slightly incised. Scales minute; Cheek scalation variable, usually covered with prominent scales but sometimes scales confined to triangular area between angle of mouth and bottom of eye. Max. length: 25.0 cm SL, common length: 20.0 cm TL. Depth range: 1 - 30 m.
Color
Sides of trunk behind a line from base of third dorsal-fin spine to anus plain yellow, thorax deep chocolate brown, a bar of the same colour from base of leading spine of dorsal fin across eye to and including both lips; midline of head usually with a narrow white blaze which may contain a vertical streak of yellow between the eyes; Rest of head and isthmus white, as is that part of sides anterior to the yellow area which, like the cheeks, is stippled with pinhead-sized, pale brown dots. Dorsal, anal, and caudal fins yellow; Upper two rays of pectoral fins chocolate, rest hyaline; Outer spine and ray of pelvic fin chocolate, rest of fin white.
Etymology
Siganus: Latin transformation of the Arabic word, sijān = a fish, rabbit fish. Referring to the similarity of the nose.
vulpinus: from Latin, vulpēs = fox + from Latin suffix, -inus = of or belonging to the wild boar. Referring to pointed snout (rabbitfishes in the subgenus are commonly called “foxface”).
Original description: Amphacanthus vulpinus Schlegel & Müller, 1845 - Type locality: Ternate Island, Molucca Islands, Indonesia.
Distribution
Western Pacific: Indonesia east to Caroline Islands, New Ireland (Papua New Guinea) and Vanuatu, north to Taiwan, south to northern Australia and New Caledonia.
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Anal spines: 7; Anal soft rays: 9; Vertebrae: 13; Pectoral fin rays: 16-17 (usually: 16); Scale rows above lateral line: 16-20; Body Depth: 1.9-2.4 in SL; Snout long: 1.7-1.95 in HL and attenuate. Body deep and compressed. Profile of head descending at an angle of about 45° to level of eye, concave before eyes and especially concave behind chin, creating a tubulate snout. A forward-directed spine in front of dorsal fin, imbedded in nape; Third to eighth dorsal-fin spine longest, all of which subequal, and slightly longer than (1.1-1.3 times) last dorsal-fin spine; Soft parts of dorsal and anal fins high, longest dorsal-fin ray: 1-1.2 times the length of longest dorsal-fin spine; Caudal fin only slightly incised. Scales minute; Cheek scalation variable, usually covered with prominent scales but sometimes scales confined to triangular area between angle of mouth and bottom of eye. Max. length: 25.0 cm SL, common length: 20.0 cm TL. Depth range: 1 - 30 m.
Color
Sides of trunk behind a line from base of third dorsal-fin spine to anus plain yellow, thorax deep chocolate brown, a bar of the same colour from base of leading spine of dorsal fin across eye to and including both lips; midline of head usually with a narrow white blaze which may contain a vertical streak of yellow between the eyes; Rest of head and isthmus white, as is that part of sides anterior to the yellow area which, like the cheeks, is stippled with pinhead-sized, pale brown dots. Dorsal, anal, and caudal fins yellow; Upper two rays of pectoral fins chocolate, rest hyaline; Outer spine and ray of pelvic fin chocolate, rest of fin white.
Etymology
Siganus: Latin transformation of the Arabic word, sijān = a fish, rabbit fish. Referring to the similarity of the nose.
vulpinus: from Latin, vulpēs = fox + from Latin suffix, -inus = of or belonging to the wild boar. Referring to pointed snout (rabbitfishes in the subgenus are commonly called “foxface”).
Original description: Amphacanthus vulpinus Schlegel & Müller, 1845 - Type locality: Ternate Island, Molucca Islands, Indonesia.
Distribution
Western Pacific: Indonesia east to Caroline Islands, New Ireland (Papua New Guinea) and Vanuatu, north to Taiwan, south to northern Australia and New Caledonia.
Biology
Sometimes territorial, occurs in coral-rich areas of lagoon and seaward reefs. Often among staghorn corals. Usually occurs singly or in pairs, but juveniles and subadults occasionally occur in large schools among Acropora where they feed on algae growing on the dead bases of the coral branches. Capable of inflicting painful stings.
Similar species
Siganus unimaculatus (Evermann & Seale, 1907) - Reported from Western Pacific: Philippines, Ryukyu Islands, Ogasawara Islands (Japan) and isolated population at Rowley Shoals (northeast shelf of Australia). Upper sides of trunk of market specimens of Siganus vulpinus sometimes with a brownish patch, especially prominent beneath posterior of spinous part of dorsal fin, but edge of brown patch diffuse not sharp as in Siganus unimaculatus.
Similar species
Siganus unimaculatus (Evermann & Seale, 1907) - Reported from Western Pacific: Philippines, Ryukyu Islands, Ogasawara Islands (Japan) and isolated population at Rowley Shoals (northeast shelf of Australia). Upper sides of trunk of market specimens of Siganus vulpinus sometimes with a brownish patch, especially prominent beneath posterior of spinous part of dorsal fin, but edge of brown patch diffuse not sharp as in Siganus unimaculatus.
Last update: 18, March 2023