Blotched Yellow Foxface

Siganus guttatus

Blotched Yellow Foxface

Siganus guttatus

Other Common Names
Yellow Blotch Rabbitfish, Golden Rabbitfish

Connected Coasts

Other Common Names

Yellow Blotch Rabbitfish, Golden Rabbitfish

At the Aquarium

Connected Coasts

Appearance

Its body is silvery-blue with large brownish-orange spots. It also has a large golden spot below its dorsal fin. Blotched Yellow Foxfaces grow to lengths of about 13 inches.

During spawning both sexes change color; the males become lighter and the females become darker.

Like other species of rabbitfish, blotched yellow foxfaces have venomous fin spines that are capable of inflicting painful wounds, defending them against predators.

Habitat

Shallow coastal areas among reefs and mangroves. Found at depths as deep as 35m.

Diet

Benthic algae and seaweed.

Life History

In the Philippines it was observed that this species spawns year round and a single female can spawn for at least four consecutive months. Following a spawning ritual, males and females release sperm and eggs into the water. Fertilized eggs often attach to the sea floor. The eggs hatch into larvae that float in ocean currents.

Juveniles settle in seagrass habitats and around river mouths. Once they enter adulthood they tend to live in estuaries and near coastal cliffs. This species schools throughout its life and adults form schools of about 10-15 individuals.

IUCN Status

Least Concern

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Blotched yellow foxfaces are caught with set nets and traps. They are common in fish markets in the Philippines, China and Vietnam. They are also raised in commercial fish farms for consumption and trade purposes.

Blotched yellow foxfaces are an important species to people in Wakatobi islands. They are caught for local consumption and trade to other areas.

As an herbivore the blotched yellow foxface plays a crucial role in preserving the balance of coral reef ecosystems.

Widespread in the Indo-West Pacific from the Andaman Islands and west coasts of Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra to Irian Jaya, north to the southern Ryukyu Islands. This species is also rare in Palau.

This animal is not native to the Oregon Coast, however is found in the larger Pacific Ocean. It lives in the Aquarium as part of our Connected Coasts gallery.

Unlike other rabbitfishes, this species is reported to be active at night.

This species looks similar to the gold-lined spinefoot (Siganus lineatus) but instead of horizontal lines on the body it has spots.

Citations & Other Resources

Carpenter, K.E. and W.F. Smith-Vaniz. 2016. Siganus guttatus (errata version published in 2017). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.

Myers, R. F. 1991. Micronesian reef fishes : a practical guide to the identification of the coral reef fishes of the tropical central and western Pacific (2nd ed.). Coral Graphics.

Allen, G. R., and Western Australian Museum. 2009. Field guide to marine fishes of tropical Australia and South-East Asia (4th ed.). Western Australian Museum.

Xian, L., S.K. Sahu, X. Huang, C. Li, Y. Liang, Y. Ou-Yang, H. Guo, B. Liu, K. Zhu, B. Liu, N. Zhang, T. Zhu, Q. Li, and D. Zhang. 2025. Chromosome-scale genomes of ecologically and economically important rabbitfish Siganus guttatus and Siganus oramin. Genomics (San Diego, Calif.), 111007-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygeno.2025.111007

Zhang, S., X. Zhang, X. Tang, and S. Zhang. 2024. Exploring Sound Frequency Detection in the Golden Rabbitfish, Siganus guttatus : A Behavioral Study. Animals (Basel), 14(20), 2967-. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14202967

Prihatiningsih, N. Muchlis, M. Taufik, K. Amri, and S.T. Hartati. 2022. Some indicators for assessing stock of golden rabbitfish (Siganus guttatus, Bloch 1787) in Wakatobi Waters, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. IOP Conference Series. Earth and Environmental Science, 1033(1), 12025-. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1033/1/012025

Hara, S., H. Kohno, and Y. Taki. 1986. Spawning behavior and early life history of the rabbitfish, Siganus guttatus, in the laboratory. Aquaculture, 59(3), 273–285. https://doi.org/10.1016/0044-8486(86)90009-8

Leis, J. M., and D.S. Rennis. (Denise S). 1984. The larvae of Indo-Pacific coral reef fishes. New South Wales University Press.

Blotched Yellow Foxface

Blotched Yellow Foxface

Other Common Names

At the Aquarium

Appearance

Habitat

Diet

Life History

IUCN Status

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Citations & Other Resources

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