Author: (Forsskål, 1775)

Siganus rivulatus (Forsskål, 1775)

Diagnosis: body compressed, its depth 2.7-3.4 in standard length. Teetl in jaws in one series, incisor-like with lateral cusps. Gillrakers 18-19 + I + 5-6. D XIV + 10, longest dorsal spine shorter than distance from front of eye to rear edge of opercle, longest dorsal ray equal to or shorter than length of snout. A VII + 9; P 16; V I + 3 + I; caudal fin only moderately forked. Colour: variable, usually with some dark spots and golden undulating streaks along sides of the body, below lateral line. Size: to 40 cm SL, usually 10-20 cm.

Habitat: inshore waters, close to bottom in depths not exceeding 60 m. Found also in small numbers in hypersaline Bardawil Lagoon. Gregarious. Caught in some quantities in Israel and Lebanon in gill-nets, trammel-nets and beach-seines. Food: brown, red and green algae (Popper & Gundermann, 1975; Lundberg & Lipkin, 1979; Lundberg, 1981). Reproduction: mainly June-August (George, 1972; Popper, 1979 and unpublished). Minimum size at first spawning 148 mm at age of 2 years (Mouneimne, 1978).

Distribution: eastern Mediterranean, from Aegean Sea along the Anatolian coast of Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt up to Libya. A Suez Canal immigrant, known from Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Eggs, larvae and young stages. George, 1972: 32-43.
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Osteichthyes
Order Perciformes
Suborder Siganoidei
Family Siganidae
Genus Siganus
Species Siganus rivulatus

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Siganus rivulatus Forsskål, 1775

Scientific synonyms and common names

Siganus rivulatus (Forsskål, 1775)

Synonyms:

Amphacanthus sigan of authors

Scarus [Siganus] rivulatus Forsskål, 1775, Descr. anim.: x, 25 ('Red Sea'). Lectotype: ZMUC no. P 6689.
Teuthis sigana: W. Steinitz, 1927: 351.
Siganus rivulatus: Fowler & Bean, 1929: 323 ando-Pacific) Tortonese, 1947: 170, fig 4 Ben-Tuvia, 1964: 5, fig. 1; 1966: 266 Tortonese, 1970: 1 George, 1972: 32-43, fig. 1, 3.
Siganus spinus (nec Linnaeus): Fowler & Steinitz, 1956: 284.


Common names:

agriosalpa [He]
arras [Ar]
carpan [Tu]
cordonnier marbré [Fr]
marbled spinefoot [En]
sigan jaspeado [Es]
sigan marbré [Fr]
sikkan [Iw]

Ben-Tuvia, A. 1964. Two Siganid fishes of Red sea origin in the Eastern Mediterranean. Bull. Sea Fish. Res. Stn. Israel, (37): 3-9, 2 fig.

Ben-Tuvia, A. 1966. Red Sea fishes recently found in the Mediterranean. Copeia, (2): pp. 254-275, 2 fig.

Fors[s]kål, P. 1775. Descriptiones animalium; avium, amphibiorum, piscium, insectorum, vermium, quae in itinere orientali observavit, Hauniae, 20 + xxxiv +164 pp., 1 map.

Fowler, H. W.; Steinitz, H. 1956. Fishes from Cyprus, Iran, Israel and Oman. Bull. Res. Coun. Israel, 5 (3-4): pp. 260-292, 33 fig.

George, C. J. 1972. Notes on the breeding and movements of the rabbitfishes, Siganus rivulatus (Forsskål) and S. luridus Ruppell, in the coastal waters of the Lebanon. Ann. Mus. Civico Storia Nat. Genova, 79: 32-44.

Ktari, F.; Ktari, M. H. 1974. Presence dans le golfe de Gabes de Siganus luridus (Rappell, 1828) et de Siganus rivulatus (Forsskal, 1775) (Poissons, Siganides) parasites par Pseudohaliotrematodides polymorphus. Bull Inst. Oce'anogr. Peche Salambo, 3 (14): pp. 95-98.

Lundberg, B. 1980. Selectivity of food algae by the herbivorous fish Siganus rivulatus in the marine vegetation at Mikhmoret (the Mediterranean coast of Israel). Ph.D. thesis, Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Mimeo, 176 p.

Popper, D. et al. 1973. Fertilization and hatching of Rabbit fish Siganus rivulatus. Aquacult., 2: 37-44, 6 fig.

Steinitz, W. 1927. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Küstenfauna Palestinas. Pubbl. Staz. zool. Napoli, 8 (3-4): pp. 311-363, 4 fig.

Tortonese, E. 1947. Ricerche zoologiche nell'isola di Rodi (Mar Egeo). Pesci. Boll. Pesca Piscic. Idrobiol., Roma, (n.s.) 23 (2): pp. 143-192, 9 fig.

Tortonese, E. 1970e. Osteichthyes (Pesci ossei), Parte Prima. Fauna Ital., 10, Calderini, Bologna, 565 pp., 198 fig. Ben-Tuvia, A.; Kissil, G. W.; Popper, D. 1973. Experiments in rearing rabbitfish (Siganus rivulatus) in sea water. Aquaculture, 1: 359-364.

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