Description (by A. Ben-Tuvia)
Body oval, strongly compressed, covered with minute scales. Teeth in jaws in 1 row, close-set, incisor-like with prominent median cusps. Dorsal fin with 13 spines preceded by a forward projecting spine, and 10 rays; anal fin with 7 spines and 9 or 10 rays; pelvic fins with 2 spines separated by 3 rays. Spines sharp, venomous.
Distribution
An Indo-Pacific family comprising 2 genera and about 20 species (Woodland, personal communication) all but one belonging to the genus Siganus , common in inshore waters in tropical and subtropical regions. Feeding on seaweeds and occasionally sea-grass. Important food fishes in Indo-Pacific, caught in gill-nets, traps and trawls. Experiments have been carried out in recent years to cultivate them under controlled conditions (Ben-Tuvia et al., 1973; Lundberg and Lipkin, 1979; Popper and Gundermann, 1975).
Genus included on this CD-rom:
Genus Siganus