Foxface rabbitfish

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Foxface rabbitfish
Adult, day colour

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Siganidae
Genus: Siganus
Species:
S. vulpinus
Binomial name
Siganus vulpinus
Synonyms[2]
  • Amphacanthus vulpinus Schlegel & Müller, 1845
  • Lo vulpinus (Schlegel & Müller, 1845)
  • Teuthis vulpina (Schlegel & Müller, 1845)
  • Teuthis vulpinus (Schlegel & Müller, 1845)
  • Teuthis tubulosa
    Gronow
    , 1854

The foxface rabbitfish (Siganus vulpinus), also known as the foxface, black-face rabbit fish, badger fish or the common foxface is a species of marine

ray-finned fish, a rabbitfish belonging to the family Siganidae. It is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It can be found in the aquarium
trade.

Taxonomy

The foxface rabbitfish was first formally described as Amphacanthus vulpinus in 1845 by the German zoologists

phylogenetically distinct, and though these two might be recently evolved species, they may be just colour morphs and should arguably to be united under the scientific name S. vulpinus. under the scientific name S. vulpinus.[4] The specific name vulpinus means "fox-like", Schlegel and Müller did not explain what this alluded to but it is thought to be the pointed snout.[5]

Description

The foxface rabbitfish has a compressed body which has a depth which fits into its standard length 1.9 to 2.4 times. The dorsal profile of the head is steep to the rear of the eye and there is an indentation between the eyes and a tubular snout. The caudal fin is weakly forked. There is a procumbent spine in the nape to the front of the dorsal fin.

anal fin has 7 spines and 9 soft rays. The fin spines hold venom glands. This species attains a maximum total length of 25 cm (9.8 in), although 20 cm (7.9 in) is more typical.[2] The main colour on this rabbitfish is vivid yellow with white on the head and front part of the body, however foxfaces can camouflage when experiencing threat, quickly changing colour to a dark brown. There is a black band running backwards from the mouth through the eye to the start of the dorsal fin and there is a black area on the breast that runs upwards to just above the base of the pectoral-fin, tapering as it does so.[7]

Distribution and habitat

The foxface rabbitfish occurs in the far eastern Indian Ocean and in the western Pacific from Indonesia to the

Capricorn Islands.[7] It has been recorded as deep as 30 m (98 ft).[1] This species lives in lagoons and seaward reefs where there is a rich growth of corals.[7]

Biology

During nighttime or when stressed the foxface rabbitfish changes to a duller mottled pattern
Caulerpa crassifolia is a popular food of the foxface rabbitfish.

The foxface rabbitfish is omnivorous, eating mostly algae and zooplankton.

stonefishes.[9]

Utilisation

The foxface rabbitfish appears in the aquarium trade.[10] No statistics are kept for the catch and in some areas this species appears in mixed catches of reef fish, caught by spearfishing.[6]

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T69738933A69742649.en
    . Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2021). "Siganus vulpinus" in FishBase. June 2021 version.
  3. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Siganus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  4. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.04.018
    .
  5. ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (12 January 2021). "Order Acanthuriformes (part 2): Families Ephippidae, Leiognathidae, Scatophagidae, Antigoniidae, Siganidae, Caproidae, Luvaridae, Zanclidae and Acanthuridae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  6. ^
    ISBN 92-5-104587-9
    .
  7. ^ a b c d Dianne J. Bray. "Siganus vulpinus". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  8. ISBN 0-7641-3256-3
    . Wild specimens feed primarily on algae and zooplankton.
  9. PMID 29055787
    .
  10. ^ "Foxface lo". Liveaquaria. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Siganus vulpinus.
  • FishBase (2008): Siganus vulpinus - Foxface. Version of 2008-JAN-14. Retrieved 2008-AUG-31.
  • Kuriiwa, Kaoru; Hanzawa, Naoto; Yoshino, Tetsuo; Kimura, Seishi & Nishida, Mutsumi (2007): Phylogenetic relationships and natural hybridization in rabbitfishes (Teleostei: Siganidae) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA analyses.
    doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.04.018
    (HTML abstract)

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Foxface_rabbitfish&oldid=1219750232"