Siganus canaliculatus

• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Common Names

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Description

Family Siganidae

Indo-Pacific and eastern Mediterranean. Each pelvic fin with 3 soft rays between an inner and an outer spine. Dorsal fin with 13 strong spines; soft rays 10. Anal fin spines 7; soft rays 9. Poisonous spines. About 40 cm maximum length . Some species in schools; others among corals . All species are diurnal herbivores that feed on benthic algae. Pelagic spawners. Important foodfishes. Some of the colorful species are popular in the aquarium trade.The family Siganidae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes ) and the Order Perciformes. It contains 2 genera and 25 species. It may be found in Marine and Brackish environments and is primarily Marine. Some members of this family are used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are nonguarders. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is carangiform . Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be normal. Members of this family have been dated back to the middle Eocene epoch of the Tertiary period. Etymology of this family name : Latin, siganus = rabbit fish, by the similarity of the nose

Habitat

In contrast to S. fuscescens , this species seems to tolerate more turbid waters, occurring within the vicinity of river mouths especially around seagrass beds . Also occurs several kilometers offshore in deep, clear waters.

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 802 meters (0 to 2,631 feet).[1]

Biome: Brackish water, saltwater . Reef-associated .

Biology

Diet

Herbivorous, feeds on benthic algae and to some extent on seagrass.

Behavior

Juveniles form very large schools in shallow bays and coral reef flats ; school size reduces with size, with adults occurring in groups of 20 individuals or so.

Predators:

Have poisonous spines[2].

Taxonomy

Ambiguous Synonyms

1. Siganus albopunctatus (Non Temminck and Schlegel, 1845)
2. Siganus javus (Linnaeus, 1766)
3. Teuthis margaritifera (Non Valenciennes, 1835)
4. Teuthis nebulosa (Non Quoy and Gaimard, 1825)
5. Teuthis siganus (Non Rivulatus Forssk�l, 1775)

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Amphacanthus dorsalis Valenciennes, 1835
2. Amphacanthus guttatus oramin Bloch & Schneider, 1801
3. Chaetodon canaliculatus Park, 1797
4. Siganus oramin (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
5. Teuthis dorsalis (Valenciennes, 1835)
6. Teuthis oramin (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
7. Theutis dorsalis (Valenciennes, 1835)

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Group expert : Woodland D.J., Data last modified by FishBase 14-Sep-1994

Similar Species

Members of the genus Siganus

There are approximately 72 species in this genus:

S. lineatus · S. aeolus · S. canaliculatus · S. argenteus · S. argenteus (Streamlined Spinefoot) · S. aurolineatus · S. canaliculata · S. canaliculatus (White Spotted Rabbit Fish) · S. cancatenatus · S. caniculatus · S. capricornensis · S. stellatus · S. concatenata · S. lineatus · S. fuscescens · S. consobrinus · S. coralinus · S. corallina · S. corallinus (Ocellated Orange Spinefoot) · S. doliata · S. doliatus (Pencil-Straeked Rabbitfish) · S. ebonensis · S. fuscenscens · S. fuscescens (Fuscescens Rabbitfish) · S. fuscesens · S. fuscus · S. guttatus (Orange-Spotted Sleeper-Goby) · S. guttatus · S. hexagonatus · S. javus (Bluespotted Spinefish) · S. fuscescens · S. labyrinthodes (Labyrinth Rabbitfish) · S. lineatus (Golden-Lined Spinefoot) · S. luridus (Squaretail Rabbitfish) · S. magnificus (Magnificent Rabbitfish) · S. margaritifera · S. argenteus · S. rivulatus · S. rivulatus · S. niger (Black Flounder) · S. notostictus · S. sutor · S. puella · S. puelloides (Blackeye Rabbitfish) · S. puellus (Bluelined Rabbitfish) · S. punctatissimus (Fine-Spotted Rabbitfish) · S. punctatistissimus · S. punctatus (Gold-Spotted Rabbitfish) · S. randalli (Randall´s Rabbitfish) · S. rivuatus · S. rivulatus (Rivulated Rabbitfish) · S. spinus · S. shortlandensis · S. spinus (Blue-Spotted Trevally) · S. stellatus (Brown-Spotted Spinefoot) · S. stellatus laqueus · S. stellatus stellatus · S. striolata · S. striolatus · S. sutor (African White-Spotted Rabbitfish) · S. spinus · S. trispilos (Threeblotched Rabbitfish) · S. fuscescens · S. unimaculatus (Onespot Rabbitfish) · S. uspi (Bicolored False Moray) · S. vermiculatus (Vermiculated Rabbitfish) · S. virgatus (Double Barred Spinefoot) · S. virigatus · S. vulpinis · S. vulpinus (Foxface Rabbitfish) · S. woodlandi · S. zoniceps

More Info

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Further Reading

• Al Sakaff, H. and M. Esseen (1999). Occurrence and distribution of fish species off Yemen (Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea). Naga ICLARM Q. 22(1):43-47.
• Bulletin - United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. ENG url p. 311, p. 312.
• Fishery bulletin / U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service. Washington, D.C.: The Service: ENG url p. 432.
• Kailola, P.J. (1991). The fishes of Papua New Guinea: a revised and annotated checklist. Vol. III. Gobiidae to Molidae. Research Bulletin No. 41, Research Section, Dept. of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Papua New Guinea. 153 p.
• Kapoor, D., R. Dayal and A.G. Ponniah (2002). Fish biodiversity of India. National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources Lucknow, India.775 p.
• Kimura, S. (1995). A check list of the marine fishes collected around northern Palawan and Calauit islands, Philippines. p. 158-167. In Pawikan Conservation Project - PAWB, DENR, Philippines and Toba Aquarium, Japan. Dugongs Dugong dugon (Mülle
• Masuda, H., K. Amaoka, C. Araga, T. Uyeno and T. Yoshino (1984). The fishes of the Japanese Archipelago. Vol. 1 (text). Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. 437 p. (text), 370 pls.
• Ni, I-H and K-Y Kwok (1999). Marine fish fauna in Hong Kong waters. Zool. Stud. 38(2):130-152.
• Ontogeny and systematics of fishes: based on an international symposium dedicated to the memory of Elbert Halvor Ahlstrom / sponsored by the National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Dept. of Commer [New York?]: American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, c1984. ENG url p. 26, p. 719.
• Randall, J.E. (1995). Coastal fishes of Oman. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 439 p.
• Randall, J.E. (1997). Randall's tank photos. Collection of 10, 000 large-format photos (slides) of dead fishes. Unpublished.
• Shiino, Sueo M. 1976. List of Common Names of Fishes of the World, Those Prevailing among English-speaking Nations. Science Report of Shima Marineland, no. 4. Shima Marineland. Kashikojima, Shima, Mie, Japan. 262.
• Thollot, P. (1996). Les poissons de mangrove du lagon sud-ouest de Nouvelle-Calédonie. ORSTOM Éditions, Paris.
• Winterbottom, R. and R.C. Anderson (1997). A revised checklist of the epipelagic and shore fishes of the Chagos Archipelago, Central Indian Ocean. Ichthyol. Bull. Smith. Inst. (66):1-28.
• Woodland, D.J. (1990). Revision of the fish family Siganidae with descriptions of two new species and comments on distribution and biology. Indo-Pac. Fish. (19):136 p.

Notes

Contributors

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 10, 2006.
• FishBase 2006.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 02, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 7 providers.
• Woodland, David J. (from FishBase).

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 02, 2008:

• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum: Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
• FishBase: FishBase DiGIR Provider - Philippine Server
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: AIMS - Baited Remote Underwater Video Station (OBIS Australia)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: AIMS - Bioresources Library (OBIS Australia)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Bishop Museum Data (OBIS distribution) (USOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: CSIRO Marine Data Warehouse (OBIS Australia)
• Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History: Vertebrate specimens
• Museum national d'histoire naturelle: Ichtyologie
• National Chemical Laboratory: IndOBIS, Indian Ocean Node of OBIS
• OZCAM (Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums) Provider: Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums
• Royal Ontario Museum: Fish specimens
• Senckenberg: Collection Pisces

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3865015
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Fis-3828
• Fishbase Species ID: 4456
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 14580766
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 172335
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 124689

Footnotes

1. Mean = -185.410 meters (-608.301 feet), Standard Deviation = 803.960 based on 56 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
2. Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea and W.B. Scott (1991). World fishes important to North Americans. Exclusive of species from the continental waters of the United States and Canada. Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. ( [back]

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