The black foxface ( Siganus niger) is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a rabbitfish belonging to the family Siganidae. It is Endemism to Tonga in the western Pacific Ocean.
Taxonomy
The black foxface was first formally described in 1990 by the
ichthyologist David J. Woodland with the type locality given as Euakafa Island in the Vava'u Group of Tonga.
This species is sometimes placed with the other four species of "foxfaced rabbitfishes" in a
subgenus of the
genus Siganus called
Lo.
The specific name
niger means
black, a reference to the dark colour of this species.
Description
The black foxface, like almost all of the other rabbitfishes, has 13 spines and 10 soft rays in its
dorsal fin and 7 spines and 9 soft rays in its
anal fin. It grows to a
total length of .
The overall colour is almost completely black but the
are yellow as is the margin of the soft rayed part of the dorsal fin, the anal fin and the
caudal fin. There is a broad white stripe on the
gill cover which is overlain with a
vermiculated pattern.
Distribution and habitat
The black foxface is endemic to Tonga in the Western Pacific Ocean, although it is only common in the northernmost Tongan island group of Vava'u. It is found at depths between in the visvinity of drop offs at the edges of coral reefs.
[ This species shows a preference for areas where there are Staghorn coral or , and where there rubble mounds made up of flat and staghorn corals.][
]
Biology
The black foxface lives in pairs as adults, the juveniles are thought to school. It feeds on macroalgae.[ They are known to change colour and pattern when alarmed.][ This species produces venom in the spines of its fins.][ In a study of the venom of a congener it was found that rabbitfish venom was similar to the venom of stonefishes.]
Utilisation
The black foxface appears in the fish keeping trade.[ It is also targeted by Spearfisherman and the catch is sold fresh.][
]
