# First record of Siganus randalli (Teleost, Siganidae) in New Caledonia, and comments on its diet

Thibaud Moleana, Luc Della Patrona, Tarik Meziane, Yves Letourneur

<figure><img src="image_1.png" /></figure>

► To cite this version:

Thibaud Mleana, Luc Della Patrona, Tarik Meziane, Yves Letourneur. First record of Siganus randalli (Teleost, Siganidae) in New Caledonia, and comments on its diet. Marine Biodiversity Records, 2016, 9 (1), pp.81. 10.1186/s41200-016-0082-x. [https://hal-01369012](https://hal-01369012)

HAL Id: hal-01369012

https://hal.sorbonne-universite.fr/hal-01369012

Submitted on 20 Sep 2016

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access
archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci-
entific research documents, whether they are pub-
lished or not. The documents may come from
teaching and research institutions in France or
abroad, or from public or private research centers.

L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est
destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents
scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non,
émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de
recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires
publics ou privés.

<figure><img src="image_2.png" /></figure>

Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
MARINE RECORD

Open Access

<figure><img src="image_3.png" /></figure>

CrossMark

# First record of *Siganus randalli* (Teleost, Siganidae) in New Caledonia, and comments on its diet

Thibaud Moleana<fnref n="1" />,<fnref n="3" />,*, Luc Della Patrona², Tarik Meziane<fnref n="3" /> and Yves Letourneur<fnref n="1" />

## Abstract

**Background:** Most of the 29 Siganidae species are widely distributed through the Indo-Pacific area. In New Caledonia, these family was represented by 12 species. The present report is the first record of *Siganus randalli* in New Caledonian waters and provide information on its diet.

**Methods:** Three specimens of *Siganus randalli* were caught in shallow mangrove waters of the southern part of New Caledonia. Their stomach contents and isotopic signatures (carbon and nitrogen) were analyzed and compared to others siganids species.

**Results and conclusion:** This note provides the most southerly record of the rabbitfish *Siganus randalli*, which extends its distribution range by 1200 km southward and 1300 km southwest. The data on its diet, when compared with other co-occurring or more reef-associated siganid species, provide information on feeding processes and ecological functions associated with its mangrove habitat.

**Keywords:** Variegated rabbitfish, Diet, Stomach content, Isotope, SW Pacific

**Abbreviations:** ADECAL, Agence de développement économique de la Nouvelle-Calédonie; ARR, Arrêté; C, Carbon; DENV, Direction de l'environnement; G, grams; IRI, Index of relative importance; LIVE, Laboratoire insulaire du vivant et de l'environnement; MM, millimeter; N, Nitrogen; SD, standard deviation; TL, Total length; UNC, Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie

## Background

Most of the 29 Siganidae species are widely distributed through the Indo-Pacific area (Woodland 1990; Randall and Kulbicki 2005). Their habitats range from estuaries and mangroves to outer reefs. This local distribution is closely related to their ecological function as browsers, croppers, mixed-feeders and spongivores (Hoey et al. 2013). In New Caledonia, 12 species have been recorded, though one of them needs further verification (*S. vermiculatus*; Fricke et al. 2011). Siganid species are currently identified by color and morphology characteristics such as snout shape, color patterns, body depth and caudal fin shape (Woodland 1990; Randall and Kulbicki 2005;

Borsa et al. 2007), but similarities in these characteristics between closely related species may lead to misidentification (Randall and Kulbicki 2005).

The variegated rabbitfish *Siganus randalli* (Woodland 1990) is a little known species and the information available mostly relates to aquaculture (Collins and Nelson 1993; Brown et al. 1994; Nelson and Wilkins 1994). It lives in brackish waters of mangroves (Collins and Nelson 1993; Nelson and Wilkins 1994), as well as above sandy bottoms of coral reef flats (Woodland 1990). The species is distributed widely from Guam (Kamikawa et al. 2015) and the Philippines archipelago (Galenzoga and Quiñones 2014) to Fiji (Blaber et al. 1993).

The aim of this paper is, firstly, to record the presence of *Siganus randalli* in New Caledonia and, secondly, to provide informations on its diet through an analysis of stomach contents and stable isotope signatures. The diet

<footnote>* Correspondence: t.moleana@gmail.com</footnote>

<footnote n="1">¹Laboratoire LIVE et LABEX « Corail », Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, BP R4, Nouméa 98851, New Caledonia</footnote>

<footnote n="3">³UMR BOREA 7208, MNHN/CNRS/UPMC/IRD, 61 rue Buffon, Paris Cedex 5 CP 53, 75231, France</footnote>

<footnote>Full list of author information is available at the end of the article</footnote>
<figure><img src="image_4.png" /><figcaption>**Fig. 1** Specimen (UNC-Y1002) of *Siganus randalli* caught during the experimental fishing session. Photo T. Moleana</figcaption></figure>

data allow a better understanding of the functional role and habitat use of this species.

## Materials and methods

On 5 March 2014, three specimens of *Siganus randalli* were collected (Fig. 1) at Goro (22° 17′ S; 167° 1′ E), southeast of New Caledonia. All specimens were caught with a gillnet in shallow mangrove waters (0.5–1 m depth). Individual weights were measured to the nearest gram and total, fork and standard lengths and body depth were recorded to the nearest millimeter. In addition, three specimens of *Siganus lineatus* (Valenciennes, 1835) and two specimens of *Siganus fuscescens* (Houttuyn, 1782) were collected along with the three *S. randalli*, and were also analyzed for a comparison of diets.

Stomach contents were collected, weighed and preserved in a 4 % formaldehyde solution. Stomach fullness was determined using the ratio between total stomach content weight and total fish weight. Each item found in the stomachs was then identified at the lowest taxonomic level and weighed. Occurrence (F%) of items and proportions by number (N%) and by weight (W%) were monitored to estimate the Index of Relative Importance (IRI; Pinkas 1971) and express it as a percentage (%IRI) of the total IRI of the stomach content. To ascertain feeding patterns, standardized niche breadth (B; Hurlbert 1978) and niche overlap (O; Pianka 1974) were determined using %IRI of each item to take into account their

occurrence and proportion by number and weight. Following Pinnegar and Polunin (1999), carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) were measured on dorsal white muscle of the jointly collected three *S. randalli*, two *S. fuscescens* and three *S. lineatus*. Other δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values obtained from siganids collected at reef sites off Noumea (22° 14′ S; 166° 28′ E) were also used for species and habitat comparisons (Letourneur, unpublished data for 10 *Siganus lineatus* 186–209 mm TL; 5 *S. punctatus* 200–261 mm TL; 6 *S. puellus* 170–212 mm TL).

## Results

The three *Siganus randalli* specimens exhibited the same meristic characters, body shape and color pattern as those described by Woodland (1990). Morphometric data are given in Table 1.

The stomach fullness values of *S. randalli* and *S. lineatus* caught in the mangrove was respectively 3.35 ± 0.67 and 3.42 ± 0.57. By comparison, low stomach fullness values of the two *S. fuscescens* (0.43 ± 0.03) showed lower feeding activity in the mangrove.

The diet of the *S. randalli* comprised 15 food items (Table 2). Rhodophyta and Phaeophyta were dominant in the stomach contents, which consisted mainly of *Bostrychia* sp. (75.6 %), *Dictyota* sp. (10.7 %) and *Lomentaria* sp. (4.2 %). This trend was also apparent in terms of %W (67.2, 17.7 and 6.9 %) and hence of

<table><caption>**Table 1** Morphometric data of *S. randalli*, *S. lineatus* and *S. fuscescens* collected in Goro, New Caledonia</caption><thead><tr><th rowspan="2">N° UNC</th><th colspan="3">S. randalli</th><th colspan="3">S. lineatus</th><th colspan="2">S. fuscescens</th></tr><tr><th>Y1001</th><th>Y1002</th><th>Y1003</th><th>Y1008</th><th>Y1014</th><th>Y1019</th><th>Y1004</th><th>Y1005</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Weight (g)</td><td>247.6</td><td>308.4</td><td>223.1</td><td>228.2</td><td>250.9</td><td>171.2</td><td>378.5</td><td>245</td></tr><tr><td>Total length (mm)</td><td>240</td><td>253</td><td>231</td><td>235</td><td>237</td><td>212</td><td>306</td><td>274</td></tr><tr><td>Fork length (mm)</td><td>220</td><td>235</td><td>213</td><td>217</td><td>220</td><td>197</td><td>278</td><td>246</td></tr><tr><td>Standard length (mm)</td><td>178</td><td>189</td><td>170</td><td>174</td><td>177</td><td>186</td><td>232</td><td>201</td></tr><tr><td>Body depth (mm)</td><td>95</td><td>101</td><td>90</td><td>92</td><td>92</td><td>85</td><td>100</td><td>85</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><caption>**Table 2** Diet composition of *S. randalli* (n = 3), *S. fuscescens* (n = 2) and *S. lineatus* (n = 3) caught in Goro, New Caledonia, and expressed in frequency of occurrence (%F), percent by number (%N) and percent by weight (%W). %IRI: Percent of Index of Relative Importance</caption><thead><tr><th rowspan="2">Items prey</th><th colspan="4">S. randalli</th><th colspan="4">S. lineatus</th><th colspan="4">S. fuscescens</th></tr><tr><th>F%</th><th>N%</th><th>W%</th><th>%IRI</th><th>F%</th><th>N%</th><th>W%</th><th>%IRI</th><th>F%</th><th>N%</th><th>W%</th><th>%IRI</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Magnoliophyta</strong></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Halophila spp.</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>50.0</td><td>1.0</td><td>2.8</td><td>1.5</td></tr><tr><td>Thalassia hemprichii</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>100.0</td><td>5.7</td><td>8.3</td><td>11.5</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Rhodophyta</strong></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Amphiroa sp.</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>50.0</td><td>42.9</td><td>55.5</td><td>40.2</td></tr><tr><td>Bostrychia sp.</td><td>100.0</td><td>75.6</td><td>67.2</td><td>74.2</td><td>100.0</td><td>49.0</td><td>44.6</td><td>62.0</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Centroceras sp.</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>25.0</td><td>0.1</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Ceramiaceae spp.</td><td>100.0</td><td>0.4</td><td>0.1</td><td>0.3</td><td>50.0</td><td>3.0</td><td>0.1</td><td>1.0</td><td>100.0</td><td>18.1</td><td>1.4</td><td>15.9</td></tr><tr><td>Ceramium spp.</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>50.0</td><td>0.9</td><td>0.1</td><td>0.3</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Gelidiella sp.</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>50.0</td><td>17.1</td><td>18.5</td><td>14.6</td></tr><tr><td>Gelidium sp.</td><td>66.7</td><td>3.7</td><td>3.8</td><td>2.6</td><td>50.0</td><td>0.7</td><td>0.4</td><td>0.4</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Gracilaria sp.</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>25.0</td><td>0.1</td><td>0.1</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Hypnea spp.</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>25.0</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>0.1</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>50.0</td><td>1.0</td><td>2.3</td><td>1.3</td></tr><tr><td>Hypoglossum sp.</td><td>33.3</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>0.1</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Lomentaria sp.</td><td>100.0</td><td>4.2</td><td>6.9</td><td>5.7</td><td>100.0</td><td>4.6</td><td>6.4</td><td>7.3</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Polysiphonia sp.</td><td>66.7</td><td>1.1</td><td>1.8</td><td>1.0</td><td>50.0</td><td>9.0</td><td>16.1</td><td>8.3</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Tolypiocladia sp.</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>25.0</td><td>0.3</td><td>0.1</td><td>0.1</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Chlorophyta</strong></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Caulerpa verticillata</td><td>66.7</td><td>0.7</td><td>0.4</td><td>0.4</td><td>75.0</td><td>3.3</td><td>1.7</td><td>2.5</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Chlorodesmis sp.</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>25.0</td><td>6.0</td><td>10.7</td><td>2.8</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Ulva sp.</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>50.0</td><td>4.8</td><td>0.9</td><td>2.3</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Phaeophyta</strong></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Padina sp.</td><td>33.3</td><td>1.5</td><td>2.0</td><td>0.6</td><td>25.0</td><td>4.2</td><td>2.3</td><td>1.1</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Dictyota sp.</td><td>100.0</td><td>10.7</td><td>17.7</td><td>14.8</td><td>50.0</td><td>9.9</td><td>16.7</td><td>8.8</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Invertebrates</strong></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Amphipods</td><td>66.7</td><td>0.2</td><td>0.1</td><td>0.1</td><td>75.0</td><td>0.4</td><td>0.3</td><td>0.4</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Ascidians</td><td>33.3</td><td>0.3</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>0.1</td><td>25.0</td><td>0.1</td><td>0.1</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>50.0</td><td>2.9</td><td>3.8</td><td>2.7</td></tr><tr><td>Copepods</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>75.0</td><td>0.5</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>0.2</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Foraminiferans</td><td>66.7</td><td>0.3</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>0.1</td><td>100.0</td><td>3.1</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>2.2</td><td>50.0</td><td>1.9</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>0.8</td></tr><tr><td>Halacarids</td><td>33.3</td><td>0.5</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>0.1</td><td>25.0</td><td>0.2</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Hydrozoans</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>100.0</td><td>4.8</td><td>6.6</td><td>9.2</td></tr><tr><td>Isopods</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>25.0</td><td>0.1</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Diptera larvae</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>25.0</td><td>0.4</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>0.1</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Nematods</td><td>33.3</td><td>0.5</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>0.1</td><td>100.0</td><td>3.3</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>2.2</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Polychaetes</td><td>33.3</td><td>0.3</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>0.1</td><td>75.0</td><td>0.8</td><td>&lt;0.1</td><td>0.4</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr></tbody></table>

%IRI (74.2, 14.8 and 5.7 %). Consequently, niche breadth had a very low value (B = 0.05).

*S. lineatus* consumed more food items than *S. randalli*, but a similar trend occurred with regard to dominance of Rhodophyta and Phaeophyta. In accordance with %IRI, the diet of *S. lineatus* was dominated by *Bostrychia* sp., *Dictyota* sp., *Lomentaria* sp. and *Polysiphonia* sp.

The niche breadth of this species also had a very low value (B = 0.07).

By contrast, only 10 items were found in the diet of *S. fuscescens*, again dominated by Rhodophyta, but also by Magnoliophyta and, to a lesser extent, Chlorophyta and invertebrates. The niche breadth of this species had a higher value than *S. randalli* and *S. lineatus* (B = 0.37).
<table><caption>**Table 3** Mean stable isotope ratios (±sd) δ13C and δ15N of *S. randalli*, *S. lineatus* and *S. fuscescens* from mangrove, and of *S. lineatus*, *S. punctatus* and *S. puellus* from coral reef, New Caledonia</caption><thead><tr><th rowspan="2">Species</th><th colspan="3">Mangrove</th><th colspan="3">Reef</th></tr><tr><th>N</th><th>δ<sup>13</sup>C (‰)</th><th>δ<sup>15</sup>N (‰)</th><th>N</th><th>δ<sup>13</sup>C (‰)</th><th>δ<sup>15</sup>N (‰)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><i>S. fuscescens</i></td><td>2</td><td>-14.10 ± 0.29</td><td>7.00 ± 0.34</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td><i>S. randalli</i></td><td>3</td><td>-27.95 ± 0.68</td><td>5.67 ± 0.21</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td><i>S. lineatus</i></td><td>3</td><td>-26.13 ± 1.50</td><td>5.57 ± 0.23</td><td>10</td><td>-25.83 ± 2.22</td><td>5.06 ± 1.03</td></tr><tr><td><i>S. punctatus</i></td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>5</td><td>-14.91 ± 1.10</td><td>5.72 ± 0.35</td></tr><tr><td><i>S. puellus</i></td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>6</td><td>-16.42 ± 1.97</td><td>6.70 ± 1.23</td></tr></tbody></table>

Strong niche overlap was found between *S. randalli* and *S. lineatus* (O = 0.99), but not between *S. randalli* and *S. fuscescens* (O = 0.01) or between *S. fuscescens* and *S. lineatus* (O = 0.01).

*S. fuscescens* has the most ¹³C-enriched and ¹⁵N-enriched values, whereas *S. randalli* and *S. lineatus* from both habitats (mangrove and coral reef) exhibited quite similar values for δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N (Table 3). *Siganus punctatus* and *S. puellus* had values similar to *S. fuscescens* for δ¹³C, but their nitrogen isotopic signatures occupied a more intermediate position between *S. fuscescens* and *S. lineatus* from mangrove.

## Discussion

The record of *Siganus randalli* from New Caledonian waters greatly extends its distribution, by approximately 1200 km southward and 1300 km southwest, compared to the closest previously recorded locations (i.e. the Solomon Islands and Fiji; Woodland 1990; Blaber et al. 1993). In view of the geographical distribution overlay (Woodland 1990) and the close phylogenetic similarities between *S. lineatus* and *S. randalli* (Borsa et al. 2007), this range extension is not surprising.

Apart from similar morphology characteristics, siga- nids can be separated into functional groups according to their feeding patterns. *Siganus randalli* revealed con- siderable differences from *S. fuscescens* in stomach con- tent composition, a finding that explains the very low niche overlap for the two species. The close similarity found with *S. lineatus* in terms of stomach fullness, niche breadth and niche overlap suggests that *S. randalli* consumes the food resources of the mangrove in a com- parable manner. Finally, the dominance of *Bostrychia* sp., a mangrove-associated algae (Zuccarello et al. 2006; Zuccarello and West 2008) in the diet of *S. randalli* highlights the importance of mangrove habitats for this species. Isotopic signatures support this view. Whereas *S. fuscescens* and *S. puellus* differ from *S. randalli* in their diets, functional groups (Debenay et al. 2011; Hoey et al. 2013) and hence their δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N, the mixed feeder *S. punctatus* revealed higher δ¹³C, suggesting a diet of different origin. *Siganus lineatus* exhibits similar δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N for both locations, suggesting that its diet

has a single habitat origin. Most notably, similarities in the isotopic ratios between *S. randalli* and *S. lineatus* indi- cated a comparable resource origin, utilization and assimil- ation by these two species. This low or even negligible food partitioning between *S. lineatus* and *S. randalli* may indicate trophic competition in the mangrove habitat. Our observations need further confirmation because of the small number of individuals examined.

## Conclusion

This note provides the most southerly record of the rabbit- fish *Siganus randalli*. The data on its diet, when compared with other co-occurring or more reef-associated siganid species, provide information on feeding processes and eco- logical functions associated with its mangrove habitat. Sev- eral other specimens of *S. randalli* have been reported by fishermen, always in mangroves, in the northern part of New Caledonia, but individuals need to be captured to confirm these reports.

### Acknowledgements

We warmly thank Germain Navarre Vama for allowing us to collect these specimens. We also thank Philippe Borsa and Gérard Mou-Tham for their valuable help.

### Funding

This work was financially supported by Operation SIGA-NC, Zonéco Program, ADECAL Technopôle, New Caledonia.

### Availability of data and materials

*Siganus randalli* specimens are available in the fish collection of the LIVE department, Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, catalogued as UNC-Y1001, UNC-Y1002 and UNC-Y1003.

### Authors' contribution

TMO, LDP and YL carried out fieldwork; TMO and LDP analyzed the stomach contents; TMO and YL analyzed the isotopic signatures; TMO analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; LDP, YL and TMe coordinated the study and corrected the draft manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

### Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

### Consent for publication

Not applicable.

### Ethics approval and consent to participate

The work was carried out under permit N°2180-2013/ARR/DENV issued by DENV, South Province of New Caledonia.
Author details

¹Laboratoire LIVE et LABEX « Corail », Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, BP R4, Nouméa 98851, New Caledonia. ²Ifremer LEAD-NC, 101 Promenade Roger Laroque, Nouméa BP 2059, 98846, New Caledonia. ³UMR BOREA 7208, MNNH/CNRS/UPMC/IRD, 61 rue Buffon, Paris Cedex 5 CP 53, 75231, France.

⁴Aqualagon SARL, BP 2525 Mont-Dore, Nouméa 98800, New Caledonia.

Received: 22 August 2016 Accepted: 23 August 2016

Published online: 15 September 2016

References

Blaber SJM, Milton DA, Rawlinson NJF, Sesewa A. A checklist of fishes recorded by the Baitfish Research Project in Fiji from 1991 to 1993. Pages 102–110.
In: Blaber SJM, Milton DA, Rawlinson NJF, Sesewa A, editors. Tuna Baitfish in Fiji and Solomon Islands: Proceedings of a workshop, Nadi, Fiji 17–18 August 1993, ACIAR Proceedings, 52. Canberra: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; 1993. http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/30776616?selectedversion=NBD11098819

Borsa P, Lemer S, Aurelle D. Patterns of lineage diversification in rabbitfishes. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2007;44:427–35.

Brown JW, Chiricheti P, Crisostomo D. A cage culture trial of *Siganus randalli* in Guam. Asian Fish Sci. 1994;7:53–6.

Collins LA, Nelson SG. Effects of temperature on oxygen consumption, growth, and development of embryos and yolk-sac larvae of Siganus randalli (Pisces: Siganidae). Mar Biol. 1993;117:195–204.

Debenay JP, Sigura A, Justine JL. Foraminifera in the diet of coral reef fish from the lagoon of New Caledonia: Predation, digestion, dispersion. Rev Micropaleontol. 2011;54(2):87–103.

Fricke R, Kulbicki M, Wantiez L. Checklist of the fi shes of New Caledonia, and their distribution in the Southwest Pacific Ocean (Pisces). Stuttg Beitr Natkd Ser A. 2011;4:341–463. http://www.naturkundemuseum-bw.de/sites/default/files/publikationen/serie-a/ns04-19frickekulbickiwantiez.pdf.

Galenzoga D, Quiñones G. Species Composition and Abundance of Marine Fishes in Selected Landing Areas of Northern Samar, Philippines. Pages 81–87. In: Rahman A, Ahmadi R, editors. International conference on Chemical, Environnement & Biological Sciences Sept. 17–18, 2014, (CEBS-2014). Kuala Lumpur; 2014.

Hoey AS, Brandl SJ, Bellwood DR. Diet and cross-shelf distribution of rabbitfishes (f. Siganidae) on the northern Great Barrier Reef: Implications for ecosystem function. Coral Reefs. 2013;32:973–84.

Hurlbert SH. The measurement of niche overlap and some relatives. Ecology. 1978;59(1):67–77. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2307/1936632/abstract; jsessionid=59F6A092D7D0075EA2F5CDE71AEEE07D.f03t02

Kamikawa KT, Cruz E, Essington TE, Hospital J, Brodziak JKT, Branch TA. Length-weight relationships for 85 fish species from Guam. J Appl Ichthyol. 2015;31:1171–4.

Nelson SG, Wilkins S. Growth and respiration of embryos and larvae of the rabbittish *Siganus randalli* (Pisces, Siganidae). J Fish Biol. 1994;44(3):513–25.

Pianka ER. Niche overlap and diffuse competition. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 1974;71(5):2141–5.

Pinkas L. Food habits study. Fish Bull. 1971;152:5–10.

Pinnegar JK, Polunin NVC. Differential fractionation of δ13C and δ15N among fish tissues: implications for the study of trophic interactions. Funct Ecol. 1999; 13(2):225–31.

Randall JE, Kulbicki M. *Siganus woodlandi*, new species of rabbitfish (Siganidae) from New Caledonia. Cybium. 2005;29(1):185–9.

Woodland DJ. Revision of the fish family Siganidae with descriptions of two new species and comments on distribution and biology. Indo-Pac Fish. 1990;19:1–136.

Zuccarello GC, West JA. *Bostrychia* (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta) species of New Zealand, and relationships in the Southern Hemisphere. N Z J Mar Freshw Res. 2008;42(3):315–24.

Zuccarello GC, West JA, Loiseaux-de-Goër S. Diversity of the Bostrychia radicans/ Bostrychia moritziana species complex (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta) in the mangroves of New Caledonia. Cryptogam Algol. 2006;27(3):245–54.

Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and we will help you at every step:

* We accept pre-submission inquiries

* Our selector tool helps you to find the most relevant journal

* We provide round the clock customer support

* Convenient online submission

* Thorough peer review

* Inclusion in PubMed and all major indexing services

* Maximum visibility for your research

Submit your manuscript at
www.biomedcentral.com/submit

BioMed Central