Huertas, Victor, and Hemingson, Christopher R. (2025) The Morphology and Colouration of Rabbitfishes. In: Hoey, Andrew S., and Taylor, Brett M., (eds.) Biology of Rabbitfishes. Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp. 24-45.

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Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of external phenotypic traits and their disparity across rabbitfishes. Phylogenetic comparative methods are used to identify the main sources of both morphological and colour variation across the family. Although morphological variation within rabbitfishes is limited when compared to other fish families, snout length and caudal fin aspect ratio are the sources of greatest variation amongst rabbitfishes. Morphological differences between schooling and pairing species suggest a potential role of morphology underpinning social behaviour. However, studies indicate habitat exerts a stronger influence. The colours found on rabbitfishes are generally confined to black, white, yellow, and reflective hues. However, this family showcases a vast diversity of intricate and repetitive patterns which are likely formed following reaction-diffusions mechanisms. Analysis of rabbitfish coloration reveals two main patterns: strictly reef-associated species tend to possess a greater coverage of yellow hues which occur with greater frequency on the posterior half of the body. Drabber species tend to school and live in non-coral-dominated habitats. These differences likely reflect the need for conspicuous colours that aid in pairing vs. those that help evade predators in specific habitats.

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