Siganus rivulatus

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Siganus rivulatus

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. rivulatus
Binomial name
Siganus rivulatus
Synonyms[2]
  • Amphacanthus rivulata (Forsskål & Niebuhr, 1775)
  • Teuthis rivulata (Forsskål & Niebuhr, 1775)
  • Teuthis rivulatus (Forsskål & Niebuhr, 1775)
  • Amphacanthus siganus (Forsskål, 1775)
  • Siganus siganus (Forsskål, 1775)
  • Teuthis sigana (Forsskål, 1775)
  • Teuthis siganus (Forsskål, 1775)
  • Amphacanthus sigan Klunzinger, 1871
  • Teuthis sigan Klunzinger, 1871

Siganus rivulatus, the marbled spinefoot, rivulated rabbitfish or surf parrotfish, is a gregarious, largely herbivorous ray-finned fish of the family

Siganus
.

Naming and taxonomy

The generic name is new Latin derived from the Arabic sijan which is equivalent to the English "rabbitfish",[3] the specific name rivulatus refers to the irregular streaking.[4] It is the type species of the genus Siganus and therefore of the monogeneric family Siganidae too.[5] S. rivulatus was named by the Swedish zoologist Peter Forsskål and published posthumously in the book Descriptiones animalium, Flora Aegyptiaco-Arabica, which was edited and published in 1775 by his friend Carsten Niebuhr.[6] The specific name rivulatus means “rivulated”, which in turn means “irregularly marked with colour”, a reference to its yellow streaks on its sides.[7]

If the revision of the genus Siganus into three new sub-genera proposed by Kuriiwa et al in 2007 is accepted the taxonomic position of S. rivulatus is uncertain thus no names for the proposed new groupings have been established.[8]

Description

Siganus rivulatus has a laterally compressed body which has a

caudal fin is slightly forked.[11] The longest spine in the dorsal fin is shorter than the distance between the front of the eye and the posterior edge of the operculum while the length of the longest dorsal ray is equal to or less than the length of the snout.[9] The slender spines are barbed and bear venom.[10] The teeth are incisor-like with lateral cusps and are arranged in a single row in the jaws.[9] The body is covered in small embedded scales,[11] except of the midline of the underside.[10] The colour is variable and it usually shows some darks spots and yellow wavy lines along the sides.[9] The upper body tends to be grey-green to brown with a yellow abdomen or silvery white underside.[11] It usually grows to around 10–20 centimetres (3.9–7.9 in), sometimes up to 27 cm in standard length but the maximum recorded size is 40 cm.[9]

Venom

S. rivulatus, like other rabbitfish, has venom glands associated with the spines in the fins and these spines can envenomate a human if the fish is handled incorrectly. The effect is very painful but there are no records of fatalities. The venom is a heat labile protein and any site where the body has been envenomated should be treated at as high a temperature as possible, 43-46 °C. Anyone so envenomated should also be treated for possible infection too.[12]

Distribution

Siganus rivulatus has a natural range which extends along the east African coast from

Israel in 1924,[11] following entry through the Suez Canal, and is now very common in the entire eastern Basin reaching as far as the Sicily channel[13] and parts of the Adriatic Sea.[14]

Biology

Siganus rivulatus occurs in shallow waters over substrates clothed with algae, including rocky and sandy as well as areas where the algae grows among sea grass beds at depths of less than 15m.[citation needed] It sometimes enters estuarine environments and so can be described as euryhaline.[15] It is normally found in schools of 50 to several hundred fish; it prefers sheltered areas. It feeds mainly by grazing on algae.[10]

The newly hatched fish larvae are planktonic feeders on small

scyphozoans in the Spring and early summer within the northern Red Sea, attacking relatively large ctenophores until the disintegrate and on the schypozoan moon jellyfish Aurelia aurita until it sinks to the bottom.[16]

S. rivulatus reaches sexual maturity at a length of 13.7 cm.[10] The spawning season of S. rivulatus takes place when the water temperature reaches 24–27 °C[17] and is later in the Mediterranean, May to July, than it is in the Red Sea when the season runs through March, April and May.[citation needed] Spawing takes place at dusk, they are oviparous and the eggs are fertilised externally, the eggs are small, 0.5–0.6 mm in diameter and are adhesive, the adults show no parental care for the brood after spawning.[17] The larvae are planktonic and do not feed for three days after hatching, when they are about three weeks old they undergo metamorphosis and congregate in schools which migrate into deeper water.[15]

Parasites

S. rivulatus is known to be a host of the following parasites: the

Sclerocollum saudii.[5]

A 2019 study in the

Sclerocollum rubrimaris accumulated trace metals such as Cadmium and Lead.[18]

Ecological impact

Siganus rivulatus, together with the related Lessepsian

Siganus luridus have been implicated in the creation of "barrens" off the coast of Turkey, grazing by the two fish species has reduced the complexity, biomass and biodiversity of algal communities creating an environment which is almost barren of vegetation.[19]

  • Siganus rivulatus Egypt
    Siganus rivulatus Egypt
  • Siganus rivulatus Crete 2011
    Siganus rivulatus Crete 2011

Uses

Fisheries

Siganus rivulatus is a quarry species for fisheries throughout much of its distribution and can be an important component of local artisanal fisheries. It is occasionally harvested by trawling but the more usual methods are beach seines and gill nets. However, the numbers appear to be stable and there are no reported significant declines in any populations. Landings of S. rivulatus are combined with other siganid species,[1] although data from the sampling of fish in the Red Sea suggests that the stock is subject to overexploitation there.[citation needed]

Aquaculture

There is ongoing research into the suitability of S. rivulatus as a suitable species for aquaculture, both in the Mediterranean and in the Red Sea. It is considered that the mainly herbivorous species may prove more sustainable than the more normal species in aquaculture such as salmonids, gadids and flatfish which are mainly carnivorous and require high protein food to grow.[1][20][21] It has been shown that S. rivulatus can be matured and spawned in captivity, readily consumes artificial feeds, can be reared in offshore cages and has good market demand.[20]

Health issues

S. rivulatus has been shown to be a source of ciguatoxin-like toxins and poisoning has been recorded in Israel after consuming Siganus flesh which appears to be associated with fish caught in polluted waters.[22] It has otherwise been reported to cause hallucinations when consumed.

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T155025A4703643.en
    . Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  2. Fishbase
    . Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  3. ^ "Siganus". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  4. ^ "Rivulated". Coral Reef Information System Glossary. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  5. ^ a b Nicola Bailly (2013). "Siganus rivulatus Forsskål & Niebuhr, 1775". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  6. ^ Flora Aegyptiaco-Arabica. Biodiversity History Library. 1775. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  7. ^ 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 1 September 2021.
  8. PMID 17590356
    .
  9. ^ a b c d e J.C, Hureau. "Marbled spinefoot (Siganus rivulatus)". Marine Species Identification Portal - Fishes of the NE Atlantic and Mediterranean. ETI Bioinformatics. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  10. ^
    Fishbase
    . Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  11. ^ a b c d Bella S. Galil (2006). "Siganus rivulatus" (PDF). Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventories for Europe. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  12. ^ James W. Fatherree. "Aquarium Fish: Fishes of the Genus Siganus: The Rabbitfishes". Advanced Aquarist. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  13. ^ G. Insacco; B. Zava (2016). "3.4 First record of the Marbled spinefoot Siganus rivulatus Forsskål & Niebuhr, 1775 (Osteichthyes, Siganidae) in Italy part of "New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (March 2016)"". Mediterranean Marine Science. 17 (1): 230–252.
  14. ^ Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea (Siganus rivulatus). 2nd Edition. 2021. 366p. CIESM Publishers, Paris, Monaco.https://ciesm.org/atlas/fishes_2nd_edition/Siganus_rivulatus.pdf
  15. ^ a b "Siganus rivulatus (Forsskål, 1775)". Malawi Cichlid Homepage. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  16. S2CID 24694789
    .
  17. ^ a b D.J. Woodland (1990). "Revision of the fish family Siganidae with descriptions of two new species and comments on distribution and biology". Indo-Pacific Fishes. 19: 136.
  18. PMID 30838973. Open access icon
  19. PMID 21364943
    .
  20. ^ a b "The Marbled Spinefoot Rabbitfish Siganus rivulatus: The Promise of a Marine Algaevore" (PDF). World Aquaculture Society. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  21. ^ Feisal A. Bukhari (2015). "Trials of rabbitfish Siganus rivulatus production in floating cages in the Red Sea" (PDF). Emirates Journal of Agricultural Science. 17 (2): 23–29.
  22. S2CID 39709672
    .

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Siganus_rivulatus&oldid=1202731065"