Rabbitfish (assorted)

Rabbitfish, also called spinefoots, are the genus Siganus, which Wikipedia gives as the only living genus of the family Siganidae, with 29 species. The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) lists Siganidae as an accepted family. This group entry covers sightings where the species was not recorded.

Wikipedia gives maximum total lengths from 20 cm in the blotched foxface to 53 cm in the streaked spinefoot. It says rabbitfish have venomous spines in the dorsal and pelvic fins, and that the sting is very painful but generally not considered medically significant in healthy adults.

A conservation status is not given here, because this entry covers a whole group.

Wikipedia says rabbitfish are native to shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific, and occur in reefs, lagoons, mangroves and seagrass beds in inshore tropical and subtropical waters.

Where Divers Find Them

At Crystal Bay, Nusa Penida, Bali, Dune Penida Dive Center lists rabbitfish among the reef life. It does not say which species.

Wikipedia says all rabbitfish are diurnal; some live in schools and others more solitary lives among the corals, and they sleep in crevices in the reef at night. It calls them herbivorous, feeding on benthic algae in the wild, and notes that some species have been seen eating other food.

Underwater Encounter Behavior

The sources cited here do not describe how rabbitfish react to divers.