Fox-faced Rabbitfish Siganus vulpinus

The Fox-faced Rabbitfish is native to coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific, from Indonesia and the Philippines to Vanuatu.

The dorsal spines, raised against predators, are venomous, but only painful not lethal to humans. When stressed or at night, its yellow colour fades and temporary brown blotches can appear.

The name Fox-face relates to the shape of its face; rabbitfish, a genus including the spinefoots, relates to its small mouth and to its habit of constant nibbling at reefs. They can grow to 20-25cm long. Diet is algae and plankton.

Those immediately above may be the Blotched Foxface, S. unimaculatus, which have a large black spot on the upper rear side but are otherwise the same, or since the spot is faint, they may be hybrids. Some treat the Blotched as a separate species and some say it is a colour variant of the same Fox-faced species.