| Cirrhitus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Stocky hawkfish (C. pinnulatus) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Cirrhitidae |
| Genus: | Cirrhitus Lacépède, 1803 |
| Type species | |
| Cirrhitus maculatus Lacepède, 1803 [1] | |
Cirrhitus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, hawkfishes from the family Cirrhitidae. The species in this genus are found on tropical reefs worldwide.
Cirrhites was first formally described as a genus in 1803 by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède, Lacépède created it as a monotypic genus for his newly described species from Mauritius, Cirrhitus maculatus. [1] However, it was later shown that Lacépède's C. maculatus was synonymous with Labrus pinnulatus described in manuscript by the German naturalist and explorer Johann Reinhold Forster from Tahiti. Forster's was the basis of the description published in 1801 by Johann Gottlob Schneider in his and Marcus Elieser Bloch's Systema Ichthyologiae, although Catalog of Fishes attributes the name to Forster. [2] The name of this genus is derived from cirrhus meaning a "lock of hair" or a "barbel", Lacépède did not explain what he feature the name alludes to. It may be alluding to the unbranched pectoral fin rays which Lacépède termed as “barbillons”, which means "barbels" in his description of the type species of the genus C. maculatus , and which he thought to be “false” pectoral fins. Another possibility is that the name refers to cirri extending from the tips of the spines in the dorsal fin spines, although Lacépède did not mention this feature. [3]
The currently recognized species in this genus are: [4]
The American ichthyologist Leonard Peter Schultz recognised three species from the widespread species C. pinnulatus, C. spilotoceps from the Red Sea, C. pinnulatus from the wider Indo-Pacific region except for Hawaii and C. maculosus from Hawaii and the Johnston Atoll. John Ernest Randall in his 1963 review of the family Cirrhitidae did not recognise these species but treated them as subspecies. [5] Catalog of Fishes recognises C. spilotoceps as a valid species and treats C. maculosus as a subspecies of C. pinnulatus, [2] while FishBase treats these names as synonyms of C. pinnulatus. [6]
Cirrhites hawkfishes have a deep body which is not highly laterally compressed. They have large heads with a blunt snout and have a fringe of cirri on the posterior margin of the anterior nostril. They have a moderately large mouth with two types of teeth, an outer row of canines and an inner row of villiform teeth. There are also teeth on the centre and sides of the roof of the mouth. The upper margin of the preoperculum either has small serrations or it smooth and the gill cover has 2 flattened spines. They have a continuous dorsal fin which has 10 spines, the membranes between the spines having deep notches and the tip of each spine has a large tuft of cirri, and 11-12 soft rays with a small incision separating the spiny portion from the soft rayed portion. The anal fin contains 3 spines and 5-7 soft rays. The caudal fin is truncate. The lower 7 pectoral fin rays are robust, with deeply incised membranes and these are notably longer than other pectoral fin rays. The upper 1 and lower 7 pectoral fin rays are unbranched. The pelvic fin has a single spine and 5 soft rays and has its origin behind the base of the pectoral fin. The scales are smooth, the intraorbital space lacks scales and there are fewer than 12 irregular scale rows, made up of small scales, on the cheeks. There are 41-49 scales on the lateral line. [7] The published sizes vary from a standard length of 16 cm (6.3 in) for C. atlanticus to a total length of 60 cm (24 in) for C. rivulatus. [4]
Cirrhites hawkfishes are found around the tropical seas of the world, except for the western Atlantic Ocean. They prefer hard substrates such as coral reefs, rocky reefs and rocky bottoms. [4]
Cirrhitidae, the hawkfishes, are a family of marine perciform ray-finned fishes found in tropical seas and which are associated with coral reefs.
Cirrhitichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, hawkfishes, from the family Cirrhitidae. They are found on tropical reefs in the Indian and western Pacific oceans. Some species can be found in the aquarium trade.
The spotted hawkfish, the blotched hawkfish, redbarred hawkfish, boar hawkfish or threadfin hawkfish, ≥is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific region. A common species, it is found in rocky and coral areas of subtidal coastal reefs.
The giant hawkfish, also known as the hieroglyphic hawkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is a marine fish and the largest of the hawkfish family with maximum size of 60 cm (24 in) in total length. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The longnose hawkfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is found on tropical reefs of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, where it can be found at depths around 10 to 100 m. It prefers the steep outer slopes of the reefs amongst gorgonians and black corals. This species can reach 13 cm (5.1 in) in total length. It can also be found in the aquarium trade. It is currently the only known member in its genus.
The flame hawkfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is native to tropical reefs of the Pacific Ocean at depths of from 1 to 10 metres. This species is also found in the aquarium trade. It is the only known member of its genus.
The coral hawkfish, the pixy hawkfish or sharp-headed hawkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is native to tropical reefs of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It occasionally is found in the aquarium trade.
Cirrhitichthys aureus, the yellow hawkfish, the golden hawkfish or golden curlyfin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is native to tropical reefs of the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.
The redspotted hawkfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is found at depths from 2 to 46 m on tropical reefs in the Western Atlantic. The Redspotted Hawkfish is also found in the aquarium trade.
Paracirrhites is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, hawkfishes belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. These fishes are found on tropical reefs of the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean.
Amblycirrhitus is a genus of ray-finned fishes, hawkfishes belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. These fishes are found on tropical reefs worldwide.
Cirrhitops is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, hawkfishes from the family Cirrhitidae. They are found on tropical reefs of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
The blackspotted hawkfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is native to rocky shores of the western Indian Ocean. This species grows to 17 cm (6.7 in) in total length. This species is the only known member of its genus.
The swallowtail hawkfish, also known as the lyretail hawkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is found on to tropical reefs in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. This species grows to 15 cm (5.9 in) in total length. It is also found in the aquarium trade. This species is the only known member of its genus.
The sixband hawkfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean. This species grows to 7.8 cm (3.1 in) in standard length. This species is the only known member of its genus.
Wilhelm's hawkfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is found in tropical waters at depths of 1 to 55 m over rocky substrates. It is only known around Pitcairn Island and Easter Island. This species grows to a length of 12 cm (4.7 in). This species is the only known member of its genus.
The splendid hawkfish, also known as mottled hawkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is found on tropical reefs of the Pacific Ocean.
The redbarred hawkfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Archipelago in the Pacific Ocean.
Cirrhitops hubbardi, Hubbard's hawkfish or the white-spotted hawkfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is found in the Western Pacific Ocean.
Cirrhitus pinnulatus, the stocky hawkfish, whitespotted hawkfish or marbled hawkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is found in the Indo-West Pacific region.