Ecology of Siganus spinus
 
Main Ref. Woodland, D.J., 1990
Remarks Postlarval & presumably the larval as well, are pelagic, live in dense schools away from the reefs in open water; presumed to feed on plankton. At an average size of 43 mm TL in spring, they perform highly synchronized mass migration onto the shoal areas of coral reefs. These small juveniles feed on finer textured algae (e.g. filamentous). As they mature, they ingest the coarser filamentous & fleshy algae, avoiding the blue-greens. Gross assimilation efficiency low; mean of 36% in juveniles, 16% in adults. This species is the smallest siganid; growth rate considerably low; hence, deemed not suitable for aquaculture.

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

Marine - Neritic Marine - Oceanic Brackishwater Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies
  • supra-littoral zone
  • littoral zone
  • sublittoral zone
  • epipelagic
  • mesopelagic
  • epipelagic
  • abyssopelagic
  • hadopelagic
  • estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas
  • mangroves
  • marshes/swamps
  • rivers/streams
  • lakes/ponds
  • caves
  • exclusively in caves
Highighted items on the list are where Siganus spinus may be found.

Habitat

Substrate
Substrate Ref.
Special habitats Coral Reefs;
Special habitats Ref. Nguyen, N.T. and V.Q. Nguyen, 2006

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

Feeding

Feeding type mainly plants/detritus (troph. 2-2.19)
Feeding type Ref. Sano, M., M. Shimizu and Y. Nose, 1984
Feeding habit browsing on substrate
Feeding habit Ref. Sano, M., M. Shimizu and Y. Nose, 1984
Trophic Level(s)
Estimation method Original sample Unfished population Remark
Troph s.e. Troph s.e.
From diet composition 2.00 0.00
From individual food items 2.04 0.03 Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref. Sano, M., M. Shimizu and Y. Nose, 1984
(e.g. 346)
(e.g. cnidaria)
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