Black Rabbitfish
Siganus fuscescens
Summary 3
Siganus fuscescens, the mottled spinefoot, black rabbitfish, black spinefoot, dusky rabbitfish, fuscous rabbitfish, happy moments, mi mi, pearl-spotted spinefoot, pin-spotted spinefoot, stinging bream or West Australian rabbitfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a rabbitfish belonging to the family Siganidae. It is found in the Western Pacific Ocean.
Description 3
Siganus fuscescens as a moderately slender, laterally compressed body, the standard length being 2.3 to 2.9 times its depth. The dorsal profile of the head is weakly to notably concave over the eyes with either a blunt or a pointed snout. The front nostril has a flap which becomes shorter as the fish grows and is reduced to a small peak in the oldest fishes. The dorsal fin has 13 spines and 10 soft rays while the anal fin has 7 spines and 9 soft rays. The front spine on the dorsal fin points forwards. The caudal fin is nearly emarginate in smaller individuals of less than 10 cm (3.9 in) standard length becoming forked in larger fish. This species attains a maximum total length of 40 cm (16 in), although 25 cm (9.8 in) is more typical. The overall colour of this rabbitfish is greenish-grey to brown fading to silvery on the lower body, with a large number of small light-bluish spots, a slender brown bar runs along the upper margin of the operculum, and they frequently have a dark patch under the start of the lateral line. When they are asleep or threatened the adults adopt a mottle pattern.
Sources and Credits
- (c) John Sear, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by John Sear
- (c) Erik Schlogl, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Erik Schlogl
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siganus_fuscescens
