Parrotfish and Rabbitfish Codexery

Vermiculated spinefoot

A venomous, commercially important rabbitfish of the Indo-West Pacific.

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Vermiculated spinefoot

Rickard Zerpe · via Wikipedia: Vermiculated spinefoot · CC BY 2.0

The vermiculated spinefoot is a species of rabbitfish first formally described in 1835 as Amphacanthus vermiculatus by Achille Valenciennes.[1]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderAcanthuriformes
  6. FamilySiganidae
  7. GenusSiganus
  8. SpeciesSiganus vermiculatus

Named by (Valenciennes, 1835)

Close relatives

Other species of Siganus with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Vermiculated spinefoot (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 273927 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2012

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

How big is it?

Size comparison: Vermiculated spinefoot and a personA 0.45 m long vermiculated spinefoot drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.45 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.45 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Vermiculated spinefoot

Where the vermiculated spinefoot has been recorded

Where the vermiculated spinefoot has been recorded67 mapped locations from 182 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Erub Island, Queensland, Townsville, QueenslandErub Island, QueenslandTownsvilleQueensland

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (182 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 29 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Biology and range

A slight depression exists above each eye, and the nape is convex.[2] The snout is both deep and blunt, and it also protrudes.[2] A flange on the front nostril is slightly broader towards the back.[2] A spine that lies flat is positioned in front of the dorsal fin.[2]

The largest recorded total length for this species is 45 cm, though a length of 30 cm is more common.[3] The geographic range of the vermiculated spinefoot extends from southern India and Sri Lanka eastward through the western Pacific Ocean, reaching as far as Palau and Guam.[4] Algae growing on seagrass, mangrove roots, and rocks is the food source for the vermiculated spinefoot.[5] During summer, adults form groups of several hundred fish to spawn, with the moon's cycle controlling the timing of this behavior.[5]

What the specialist sources record

The same source lists the species citation as Amphacanthus vermiculatus Valenciennes, 1835, from Histoire Naturelle des Poissons 10: 126.[6] The World Register of Marine Species records the environment as marine and brackish.[7] GBIF holds 414 occurrence records for this taxon as of 7 October 2026.[8] The FAO species identification guide describes the body depth as fitting 1.9 to 2.2 times into standard length.[2][9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Vermiculated spinefoot" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; "Order Acanthuriformes (part 2): Families Ephippidae, Leiognathidae, Scatophagidae, Antigoniidae, Siganidae, Caproidae, Luvaridae, Zanclidae and Acanthuridae", The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database, 12 January (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Vermiculated spinefoot" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: D.J. Woodland, "FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 6. Bony fishes part 4 (Labridae to Latimeriidae), estuarine crocodiles, sea turtle (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Vermiculated spinefoot" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; D.J. Woodland, "FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 6. Bony fishes part 4 (Labridae to Latimeriidae), estuarine crocodiles, sea turtle; ; Bray, D.J., "Siganus vermiculatus", Fishes of Australia, 2018 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Vermiculated spinefoot" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Larson, H., "Siganus vermiculatus", 2012; Bray, D.J., "Siganus vermiculatus", Fishes of Australia, 2018 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Vermiculated spinefoot" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; Larson, H., "Siganus vermiculatus", 2012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Bray, D.J., "Siganus vermiculatus", Fishes of Australia, 2018. facts only, no text reused. fishesofaustralia.net.au
  7. World Register of Marine Species, Siganus vermiculatus (AphiaID 273927). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
  8. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Siganus vermiculatus (taxon key 2390251). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org
  9. Open Library record, ISBN 9251045879 ("Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific Vol. 5"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Vermiculated spinefoot (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Ranked in

Reef fish by maximum length

More in Parrotfish and Rabbitfish

SiganidaeSiganusBicolored foxfaceBlack foxfaceBlackeye rabbitfishBlotched foxfaceBlue-spotted spinefootDusky spinefootPeppered spinefootFoxface rabbitfishGolden-lined spinefootSiganus punctatus

Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In what year was the vermiculated spinefoot first scientifically described?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1835.

From the source: “The vermiculated spinefoot was first formally described in 1835 as Amphacanthus vermiculatus by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes with the type locality given as New Guinea.”

2. To which genus does the vermiculated spinefoot belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Siganus.

From the source: “The vermiculated spinefoot (Siganus vermiculatus), also known as maze rabbitfish, scribbled spinefoot or vermiculate rabbitfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a rabbitfish belonging to the family Siganidae.”

3. What is the scientific name of the vermiculated spinefoot?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Siganus vermiculatus.

From the source: “The vermiculated spinefoot (Siganus vermiculatus), also known as maze rabbitfish, scribbled spinefoot or vermiculate rabbitfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a rabbitfish belonging to the family Siganidae.”

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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