Fish
Whitespot Rabbitfish
Siganus sutor
A weed-loving rabbitfish speckled with pearly spots that turns muddy brown and marbled the moment it is frightened or landed.
Also known as rabbitfish, witspikkel- konynvis
- Typical size
- Attains 45 cm
- Habitat
- Schools around weedy reef and rocky bottom
The whitespotted rabbitfish is highly variable in colour, its cream or pearly spots and ocelli evenly spaced over the sides against a background that shifts with the fish's mood and the substrate. Frightened, injured or dead fish go marbled light and dark brown, often in six diagonal bands that mask the spots. It reaches about 45 cm.
It lives in schools around weedy reef and rocky ground, grazing on algae. As with all rabbitfish, the fin spines are venomous, so it should be handled with care.