The golden-lined spinefoot (''Siganus lineatus''), also known as the goldlined rabbitfish or lined rabbitfish, is a species of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

, a

rabbitfish Rabbitfishes or spinefoots are perciform fishes in the family Siganidae. The 29 species are in a single genus, ''Siganus''. In some now obsolete classifications, the species having prominent face stripes—colloquially called foxfaces– ...

belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Siganidae Rabbitfishes or spinefoots are perciform fishes in the family Siganidae. The 29 species are in a single genus, ''Siganus''. In some now obsolete classifications, the species having prominent face stripes—colloquially called foxfaces– ...

. It is found in the tropical Western Pacific and along the coasts of

northern Australia The unofficial geographic term Northern Australia includes those parts of Queensland and Western Australia north of latitude 26° and all of the Northern Territory. Those local government areas of Western Australia and Queensland that lie p ...

Taxonomy

The golden-lined spinefoot was first formally described in 1835 as ''Amphacanthus lineatus'' by the French

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

Achille Valenciennes Achille Valenciennes (9 August 1794 – 13 April 1865) was a French zoologist. Valenciennes was born in Paris, and studied under Georges Cuvier. His study of parasitic worms in humans made an important contribution to the study of parasitology. ...

with the type locality given as the Western Pacific. The populations of spinefoots similar to ''

Siganus lineatus The golden-lined spinefoot (''Siganus lineatus''), also known as the goldlined rabbitfish or lined rabbitfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a rabbitfish belonging to the family Siganidae. It is found in the tropical Western Pacific and ...

'' in the waters off the Maldives, southern India and Sr Lanka had been considered to be

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organ ...

with ''S. lineatus'' but differences in the colour and pattern as well as genetic differences showed that this was a valid,

allopatric Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...

species, '' S. insomnis''. The specific name ''lineatus'' means "lined", a reference to the wavy bands along its body.

Description

The golden-lined spinefoot has a laterally compressed body, which has a depth that is just over half its

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

. The dorsal profile of the head is steep and there is a slight indentation above the eyes. The front nostril has a low rim which is larger to the rear. There is a forward pointing spine in front of the dorsal fin which is embedded in the nape. Like all rabbitfishes, the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

has 13 spines and 10

soft rays Fish anatomy is the study of the form or morphology of fish. It can be contrasted with fish physiology, which is the study of how the component parts of fish function together in the living fish. In practice, fish anatomy and fish physiology co ...

while the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

has 7 spines and 9 soft rays. The

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

is emarginate to weakly forked. This species attains a maximum total length of , although is more typical. The overall colour is pale grey to bluish-grey, shading to silvery on the abdomen, marked with wavy orange lines. There is a large bright yellow spot underneath the soft rayed part of the dorsal fin, and blue lines on the cheek and operculum. The spines in the dorsal fin are golden with dusky bronze membranes while the rays are silvery with bluish membranes between them and there is a golden spot at the base of each ray. The spines of the anal fin are golden bronze with dusky blue membranes and the anal fin rays are bluish with their membranes being dusky, again with a golden spot at the base of each one and a bar at the bottom of it in each cell of the membrane. The caudal fin is bluish with rows of golden spots which look like 3 or 4 cross bars when the fin is furled. The outer spines of the

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two en ...

, and the outermost fin ray, are silvery, the rest are dusky blue. The

pectoral fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

s are

hyaline A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from el, ὑάλινος, translit=hyálinos, lit=transparent, and el, ὕαλος, translit=hýalos, lit=crystal, glass, label=none. Histopathology Hyaline cartilage is ...

Distribution and habitat

The golden-lined spinefoot is found in the Indo-West Pacific from the

Gulf of Thailand The Gulf of Thailand, also known as the Gulf of Siam, is a shallow inlet in the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of the Indochinese Peninsula and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. It is around in l ...

and the Philippines east to Vanuatu and south to northern Australia. In Australia it has been recorded from Point Quobba in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

east along the northern tropical coast to the Capricorn Group in southern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, as well as at Ashmore Reef in the

Timor Sea The Timor Sea ( id, Laut Timor, pt, Mar de Timor, tet, Tasi Mane or ) is a relatively shallow sea bounded to the north by the island of Timor, to the east by the Arafura Sea, and to the south by Australia. The sea contains a number of reefs, ...

and Murray Island in the

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the Fre ...

. It has also been reported from the Ogasawara, Europic and

Caroline Islands The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the centra ...

. It has been found as deep as in sheltered waters like lagoons and bays where they can be found near rocky substrates or reefs, often resting on rubble or sandy bottoms. Juveniles prefer estuaries.

Biology

Golden-lined spinefoots form schools which decrease in size with the age of the fish and range from 10 to 25 fish in the adults, although they may from aggregations of several thousand fish when

spawning Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aquati ...

. They feed on encrusting algae which they scrape off from beach rock or pavement areas of coral reefs, and on larger leafy algae. This species produces

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

in the spines of its fins. In a study of the venom of a congener it was found that rabbitfish venom was similar to the venom of stonefishes.

Fisheries

The golden-lined spinefoot is largely caught with set nets and fixed traps, and is commonly sold in fish markets as fresh fish.

References

External links

WoRMS

Animaldiversity WebFood and Feeding habitsScience direct
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2372240 Siganidae Fish described in 1835 Taxa named by Achille Valenciennes