Barred spinefoot (Siganus doliatus)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Acanthuriformes · Family: Siganidae · Genus: Siganus.

Accepted name: Siganus doliatus · Authority: Guérin-Méneville, 1829-38 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 273911.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Amphacanthus doliatus (Guérin-Méneville, 1829-38); Teuthis doliata (Guérin-Méneville, 1829-38); Teuthis doliatus (Guérin-Méneville, 1829-38).

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273911 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Siganus doliatus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 25 cm · Common length: 20 cm · Depth range: 0–15 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 20.5 of 100 · Fishery importance: minor commercial.

FishBase notes: Inhabits coral-rich areas of lagoons and seaward reefs. Juveniles form schools. Pairs form at 7 cm; but these pairs continue to form loose schools, sometimes with juvenile scarids, to feed in areas being flooded by the tide. At 20 cm, isolated pairs in deep water lagoons or on drop-offs at reef-edges feed on benthic seaweeds (Ref. 9813, 48637). Anterolateral glandular grooves with venom gland (Ref. 57406). Very closely related to the blue-spotted S. virgatus (Valenciennes) and apparently hybridizes at times with it in the Indo-Malayan region (Ref. 2334). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 128797.

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 4623) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Siganus-doliatus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

9,875 georeferenced occurrence records for Siganus doliatus are published through GBIF from 14 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 103 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 8 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: Australia (8,266); New Caledonia (411); Micronesia (Federated States of) (310); Fiji (305); Tonga (169).

The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2390315) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2390315&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273911 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Siganus doliatus Guérin-Méneville, 1829-38 as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 69689424) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/69689424/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2390315) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2390315/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Siganus doliatus was first formally described in 1829-38 by the French entomologist Félix Édouard Guérin-Méneville in his Iconographie du Règne animal de G. Cuvier IV, Poissons with the type locality given as Buru Island in Indonesia and Vanikoro Island, Santa Cruz Islands in the southwestern Pacific. The specific name doliatus means "barred", thought to be a reference bars on the body. The name is dated 1829-1838 as Guérin-Méneville's description was based on a plate illustration which was published a number of times in that period, it is thought that the plate he used was published by 1834.

Siganus doliatus grows to a length of about 25 cm. The dorsal fin has thirteen spines and ten soft rays while the anal fin has seven slays and nine soft rays. The spines are robust and venomous. This fish is yellow with a network of fine blue lines on the body, giving it a pattern that resembles a printed circuit board and leads to one of its common names, scribbled rabbitfish. There are two oblique, dark stripes, one running from just below the mouth, through the eye to the nape, and one passing through the operculum.

Siganus doliatus is a marine fish which occurs in the tropical regions, especially found in western Pacific Ocean. Its range extends from eastern Indonesia northwards to Palau and Kosrae, and southward to northern Australia and Tonga. It occurs on the seaward side of reefs and on reef edges, and also in deep lagoons and coral-rich areas in lagoons. Its depth ranges from 2 to 15 meters.

Siganus doliatus is herbivorous and feed on algae. Juvenile fish form schools, but when the fish reach a length of about 7 cm they begin to divide up into pairs, which may remain in the schools alongside smaller fish. Larger fish do not school and are usually found in pairs, each with a home range that overlaps that of other pairs. The bonding is not necessarily for the purposes of reproduction, as about 25% of the pairs are formed by two individuals of the same sex. The primary purpose of the pair bonding is likely to be of a reproductive nature but it may be partially used as a defence against predators, and it is also useful for a novel feeding strategy.

When a group of animals is feeding together, if one reacts to a threat, all can benefit by acting appropriately. A pair of scribbled rabbitfish spends about 80% of their time together and are seldom out of visual range. One fish often probes deep into a crevice for food while the other remains alert nearby. Without the presence of the second fish, the grazer would be at greater risk of attack by an unseen predator, and would likely not benefit from the feeding opportunities that left it unsighted in this way. The pair bond enables them to harvest food to which they would otherwise not have access.

Source: Wikipedia: Siganus doliatus — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siganus_doliatus (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.