Siganus woodlandi
Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from FishBase, occurrence map from GBIF, conservation from IUCN Red List, description from Wikipedia.
Siganus woodlandi is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a rabbitfish belonging to the family Siganidae. It is endemic to the waters off New Caledonia in the Western Pacific Ocean.
- Scientific name
- Siganus woodlandi
- Authority
- Randall & Kulbicki, 2005
- Family
- Siganidae
- Order
- Acanthuriformes
- Depth range
- 5–15 m
- Habitat zone
- reef-associated
- Iucn red list
- Least Concern
- Gbif occurrence records
- 22
Classification (WoRMS)
Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Acanthuriformes · Family: Siganidae · Genus: Siganus.
Accepted name: Siganus woodlandi · Authority: Randall & Kulbicki, 2005 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 273930.
Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273930 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Biology and life history (FishBase)
Measured values published by FishBase for Siganus woodlandi. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.
Depth range: 5–15 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 20.7 of 100 · Fishery importance: of no interest · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.
FishBase notes: Presumably feeding on zooplankton, but may only be opportunistic. Digestive tract of type specimen filled with benthic algae (Ref. 55950).
Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 62435) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Siganus-woodlandi.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)
22 georeferenced occurrence records for Siganus woodlandi are published through GBIF from 2 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 14 distinct locations from a sample of 22 records; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.
Most records by country or area: New Caledonia (11); Japan (10).
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2390178) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2390178&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=273930 (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 woodlandi Randall & Kulbicki, 2005 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 69738962) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/69738962/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2390178) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2390178/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Description and natural history (Wikipedia)
Siganus woodlandi was first formally described in 2005 by the ichthyologists John Ernest Randall & Michel Kulbicki with the type locality given as the fish market in Noumea in New Caledonia. The specific name honours the ichthyologist David J. Woodland of University of New England in New South Wales, Australia, in recognition of his research on the systematics of the family Siganidae.
Siganus woodlandi has a compressed body which has a depth which fits into its standard length 2.3 to 2.4 times. The dorsal profile of the head is concave with a procumbermt spine in the nape in front of the dorsal fin. The caudal fin is strongly emarginate. Like all rabbitfishes, the dorsal fin has 13 spines and 10 soft rays while the anal fin has 7 spines and 9 soft rays. The fin spines hold venom glands. This species attains a maximum total length of 25.2 cm. The head and body are pale blue in colour with numerous small pale yellowish spots and highly irregular narrow yellow bands, these create a fine reticulated pattern over much of the head and body.
Siganus woodlandi has been collected from depths between 5 and 15 m off New Caledonia, although similar fishes have been photographed off Bali in Indonesia and from the Scott Reef and Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, however these records need to be verified.
Siganis woodlandi is found in schools of about 10 to 100 fishes. They feed mainly on benthic algae, but they seem to opportunistically feed on zooplankton too.
Siganis woodlandi was described from a specimen obtained at a fish market, so it occasionally appears to be caught and sold as food.
Source: Wikipedia: Siganus woodlandi — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siganus_woodlandi (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
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