Biogeographical diet variation within and between the rabbitfishes Siganus corallinus, Siganus doliatus, Siganus trispilos and Siganus virgatus

Feeding habits of herbivorous fishes play an important role in shaping form and function of coastal marine ecosystems. Rabbitfishes (Siganidae) are important consumers of macroalgae on Indo-West Pacific coral reefs. However, it is unclear how their diet varies among and within species at biogeographical scales, casting doubt on their precise functional roles across different regions. The present study assessed the inter- and intraspecific diet variation of four rabbitfishes (Siganus trispilos, Siganus coralinus, Siganus virgatus, and Siganus doliatus) factored by morphological relatedness among populations from Ningaloo Reef (western Australia), the Great Barrier Reef (GBR, eastern Australia) and the Yaeyama Islands (Okinawa Prefecture, Japan). Results showed that region had a strong effect on diet, effectively reducing the expected effect of morphologic similitude. While intraspecific differences were only significant when populations inhabited different regions; interspecific differen..., Species of study and diet information
 
The study focused on four closely-related species of rabbitfish (Siganus virgatus, S. doliatus, S. corallinus, and S. trispilos; Siqueira, Bellwood & Cowman 2019) that have populations in three regions set apart by thousands of kilometres: Okinawa (Yaeyama Islands), the Great Barrier Reef (GBR; Turtle Group and Lizard Island), and Ningaloo Reef (Coral Bay). Specimens of S. virgatus and S. trispilos were collected by spear [Murdoch University ethics permit number R3349/21 and Department of Fisheries (DPIRD) exemption 3699] between 9 am and 11 am in backreef and lagoon habitats of Bateman (23°02'28\"S, 113°47'04\"E), Five Fingers (23°10'54\"S, 113°45'51\"E) and Yalobia (23°12'22\"S, 113°45'33\"E) reefs, Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, during June 2022 and March-April 2023. Captured specimens were euthanised, stored in ice, and dissected fresh at the Coral Bay Research Station (Murdoch University). The alimentary tract was removed, dissected open, an..., , # Data from: Biogeographical diet variation within and between the rabbitfishes Siganus corallinus, Siganus doliatus, Siganus trispilos and Siganus virgatus

Access this dataset on Dryad: [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mw6m9064w](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mw6m9064w)

The data consists on one single file containing information on the diet of populations of the rabbitfishes *Siganus trispilos, Siganus corallinus, Siganus virgatus*, and *Siganus doliatus* across coral reefs in Ningaloo Reef (Western Australia), Great Barrier Reef (Eastern Australia) and Okinawa (Japan) (Zarco-Perello et al. 2024 Data from Biogeographical Diet Variation of Rabbitfishes.csv). Diet values represent the proportions of each food item/category in the digestive system of each individual fish (% of gut content).

## Description of the data and file structure

* *Species*: Currently valid scientific name.

* *Population ID*: Name identifying the different populations of each species.

* *Individual I...