Rabbitfishes or spinefoots are perciform fishes in the family (biology), 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–are in the genus ''Lo''. Other species, such as the masked spinefoot (''S. puellus''), show a reduced form of the stripe pattern. Rabbitfishes are native to shallow waters in the Indo-Pacific, but ''Siganus luridus, S. luridus'' and ''Siganus rivulatus, S. rivulatus'' have become established in the eastern Mediterranean via Lessepsian migration. They are commercially important food fish, and can be used in the preparation of dishes such as ''bagoong''.

Taxonomy

The Siganidae was first formally described as a family in 1837 by the Scottish people, Scottish naval surgeon, natural history, naturalist and arctic explorer Sir John Richardson (naturalist), John Richardson. The genus ''Siganus'' was described in 1775 by the Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius with ''Siganus rivulatus'', a species also Species description, described by Fabricius in 1775, designated as he type species. The description was based on notes taken by the naturalist Peter Forsskål when he was on the Danish Arabia expedition (1761–67) and was published in Carsten Niebuhr's ''Descriptiones animalium avium, amphibiorum, piscium, insectorum, vermium; quae in itinere orientali observavit Petrus Forskål. Post mortem auctoris edidit Carsten Niebuhr''. Catalog of Fishes lists the authority as " Fabricius [J. C.] (ex Forsskål) in Niebuhr 1775" and states that the genus is valid as "''Siganus'' Fabricius 1775". Carl Linnaeus originally described the genus ''Teuthis'', with the type species being ''Teuthis hepatus''. One of the type specimens he used looks like ''Siganus javus'', although the other is definitely not a rabbitfish, and the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature has been asked to suppress the name ''Teuthis'' in favour of ''Siganus'' to reflect the prevailing usage. The family Siganidae is classified as one of two families in the Superfamily (biology), superfamily Siganoidea, within the suborder Percoidei of the Order (biology), order Perciformes in the 5th edition of ''Fishes of the World''. In other classifications it is classified as a family within the order Acunthuriformes, or as one of a group of families classified as ''incertae sedis'' within the series Eupercaria. The name ''Siganus'' is a latinisation of the local Arabic name for the marbled rabbitfish (''S. rivulatus'') in Yemen, ''Sidjan'' which can also be written as ''Sigian'', and means "rabbitfish". In 2007 Kurriwa ''et al.'', outlined a way to split the genus—if the scientific community so desires: * An ancient group containing e.g. ''S. woodlandi'' * Another fairly small group containing, e.g., the ''Siganus canaliculatus, S. canaliculatus''/''Siganus fuscescens, S. fuscescens'') complex * The remainder of'' Siganus'', including the foxfaces Other lineages might exist and make obsolete the somewhat weak distinction between the second and third groups. Also, it is not known where the type species ''Siganus rivulatus, S. rivulatus'' would fall, hence names for these three subgenera or genus, genera are not established at present. Hybrid (biology), Hybridizaton has played a role in the evolution of the Siganidae, as evidenced by comparison of mtDNA cytochrome b, cytochrome ''b'' and nDNA internal transcribed spacer 1 DNA sequence, sequence data. Evidence exists of interbreeding between ''Siganus guttatus, S. guttatus'' and ''Siganus lineatus, S. lineatus'', as well as between ''Siganus doliatus, S. doliatus'' and ''Siganus virgatus, S. virgatus''. Also, either females of the last common ancestor of ''Siganus puellus, S. puellus'' and the ''Siganus punctatus, S. punctatus'' interbred with females ancestral to the main non-foxface lineage, or males of the former hybridized with females of the last common ancestor of ''Siganus punctatissimus, S. punctatissimus'' and the foxfaces, while males of the latter mated with females of the original foxface species. An individual was found that looked like a slightly aberrant blue-spotted spinefoot (''Siganus corallinus, S. corallinus''). On investigation, it turned out to be an offspring of a hybrid between a female of that species and a male masked spinefoot, which had successfully backcrossed with the blue-spotted spinefoot.

Species

As noted above, several presumed species are suspected to actively interbreed even today; these might warrant merging as a single species. This applies to the white-spotted spinefoot (''Siganus canaliculatus, S. canaliculatus'') and the mottled spinefoot (''Siganus fuscescens, S. fuscescens''), and to the blotched foxface (''S. unimaculatus'') and the foxface rabbitfish (''S. vulpinus''). Alternatively they might be very recently evolution, evolved species that have not yet undergone complete lineage sorting, but their biogeography suggests that each group is just color morph (zoology), morphs of a single species. On the other hand, the morphology (biology), morphologically diverse blue-spotted spinefoot (''S. corallinus'') might represent more than one species; orange individuals are found at the north of its range, while yellow ones occur to the south, and these two may be completely parapatric.

There are currently 29 recognized species in this genus: * ''Siganus argenteus'' (Jean René Constant Quoy, Quoy & Joseph Paul Gaimard, Gaimard, 1825) (Streamlined spinefoot) * ''Siganus canaliculatus'' (Mungo Park (explorer), M. Park, 1797) (White-spotted spinefoot) * ''Siganus corallinus'' (Achille Valenciennes, Valenciennes, 1835) (Blue-spotted spinefoot) * ''Siganus doliatus'' Félix Édouard Guérin-Méneville, Guérin-Méneville, 1829 (Barred spinefoot) * ''Siganus fuscescens'' (Martinus Houttuyn, Houttuyn, 1782) (Mottled spinefoot) * ''Siganus guttatus'' (Marcus Elieser Bloch, Bloch, 1787) (Goldlined spinefoot) * ''Siganus insomnis'' David J. Woodland, Woodland & R. Charles Anderson, R. C. Anderson, 2014 (Bronze-lined rabbitfish) * ''Siganus javus'' (Carl Linnaeus, Linnaeus, 1766) (Streaked spinefoot) * ''Siganus labyrinthodes'' (Pieter Bleeker, Bleeker, 1853) (Labyrinth spinefoot) * ''Siganus lineatus'' (Valenciennes, 1835) (Golden-lined spinefoot) * ''Siganus luridus'' (Eduard Rüppell, Rüppell, 1829) (Dusky spinefoot) * ''Siganus magnificus'' (George H. Burgess, G. H. Burgess, 1977) (Magnificent rabbitfish) * ''Siganus niger'' Woodland, 1990 (Black foxface) * ''Siganus puelloides'' Woodland & John Ernest Randall, Randall, 1979 (Blackeye rabbitfish) * ''Siganus puellus'' (Hermann Schlegel, Schlegel, 1852) (Masked spinefoot) * ''Siganus punctatissimus'' Henry Weed Fowler, Fowler & Barton Appler Bean, B. A. Bean, 1929 (Peppered spinefoot) * ''Siganus punctatus'' (Schneider & Johann Reinhold Forster, Forster, 1801) (Goldspotted spinefoot) * ''Siganus randalli'' Woodland, 1990 (Variegated spinefoot) * ''Siganus rivulatus'' Peter Forsskål, Forsskål & Carsten Niebuhr, Niebuhr, 1775 (Marbled spinefoot) * ''Siganus spinus'' (Linnaeus, 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 1758) (Little spinefoot) * ''Siganus stellatus'' (Forsskål, 1775) (Brown-spotted spinefoot) * ''Siganus sutor'' (Valenciennes, 1835) (Shoemaker spinefoot) * ''Siganus trispilos'' Woodland & Gerald R. Allen, G. R. Allen, 1977 (Threeblotched rabbitfish) * ''Siganus unimaculatus'' (Barton Warren Evermann, Evermann & Alvin Seale, Seale, 1907) (Blotched foxface) * ''Siganus uspi'' Michael J. Gawel, Gawel & Woodland, 1974 (Bicolored foxface) * ''Siganus vermiculatus'' (Valenciennes, 1835) (Vermiculated spinefoot) * ''Siganus virgatus'' (Valenciennes, 1835) (Barhead spinefoot) * ''Siganus vulpinus'' (Schlegel & Johannes Peter Müller, J. P. Müller, 1845) (Foxface) * ''Siganus woodlandi'' Randall & Michel Kulbicki, Kulbicki, 2005

Characteristics

Rabbitfishes have laterally compressed, oval bodies which may be deep, or slender. A few species have a tubular snout. The mouth is very small and is with non protractile jaws which have one row of compressed, closely set, incisor-like teeth in each jaw. The teeth overlap slightly and create a beak like structure. The dorsal fin has 13 robust spines and 10 soft rays and the front spine is short, sharp and points forward, sometimes projecting from its "pocket" but it may enfolded. The anal fin has 7 robust spines and 9 soft rays. The pelvic fins have 2 spines and 3 soft rays inbetween them, this is a unique characteristic to the Siganidae. There is a membrane which extends from the inner pelvic fin spine to the bellywith the anus sitting between these membranes. The tiny scales are cycloid and may be absent from the head region, even if present on the head they are restricted to a small area of the cheek under the eye. The fin spines are equipped with well-developed venom (poison), venom glands. The sting is very painful, but it is generally not considered medically significant in healthy adults. They range in maximum total lengths of in the case of the blotched foxface (''S. unimaculatus'') to in the streaked spinefoot (''S. javus'').

Distribution and habitat

Rabbitfishes are found in the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea and the coast of eastern Africa through the Pacific Ocean as far as Pitcairn Island. Two Red Sea species ''S. rivulatus'' and ''S. luridus'' have invaded the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal, a process known as Lessepsian migration. These fishes are found in inshore tropical and subtropical waters where they occur in reefs, lagoons, mangroves and seagrass beds.

Biology

All rabbitfish are diurnal animal, diurnal; some live in schools, while others live more solitary lives among the corals. Rabbitfish sleep in crevices in the reef matrix at night. While sleeping, the rabbitfish ''Siganus canaliculatus'' was observed being cleaned by the cleaner shrimp ''Urocaridella antonbruunii''. They are herbivorous, feeding on benthic algae in the wild. However, ''Siganus rivulatus'' was recently observed feeding on jellyfish (Scyphozoa) and comb jellies (Ctenophora) in the Red Sea. Also ''Siganus fuscescens'' have been observed eating prawns and other baits, suggesting that some species are opportunistic omnivorous feeders. The live passage of benthic organisms in the guts of invasive rabbitfish (ichthyochory) was shown to play a major role in the Biological dispersal, long distance dispersal and Invasive species, bioinvasion of foraminifera. Rabbitfish lay adhesive eggs and some species live as monogamous pairs.

Venom

Rabbitfish have venomous spines in the dorsal and pelvic fins. In at least one species the venom has been found to be similar to that found in stonefish.

Utilization

Rabbitfish can be important species for commercial fisheries, particularly the schooling species. The catch is largely sold fresh but juveniles may be dried or processed to make fish paste. Some species are used in aquaculture and some of the more colorful species are found in the aquarium trade.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q17148, from2=Q10667467 Siganidae, Venomous fish Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius Taxa named by John Richardson (naturalist)