The golden-lined spinefoot was first formally described in 1835 as Amphacanthus lineatus by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes with the type locality given as the Western Pacific.

[3] The populations of spinefoots similar to Siganus lineatus in the waters off the Maldives, southern India and Sr Lanka had been considered to be conspecific with S. lineatus but differences in the colour and pattern as well as genetic differences showed that this was a valid, allopatric species, S.

[2] The overall colour is pale grey to bluish-grey, shading to silvery on the abdomen, marked with wavy orange lines.

There is a large bright yellow spot underneath the soft rayed part of the dorsal fin, and blue lines on the cheek and operculum.

[6] The golden-lined spinefoot is found in the Indo-West Pacific from the Gulf of Thailand and the Philippines east to Vanuatu and south to northern Australia.

[1] In Australia it has been recorded from Point Quobba in Western Australia east along the northern tropical coast to the Capricorn Group in southern Queensland, as well as at Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea and Murray Island in the Coral Sea.