| Cirrhitus pinnulatus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sri Lanka | |
 | |
| Hawaii | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Cirrhitidae |
| Genus: | Cirrhitus |
| Species: | C. pinnulatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Cirrhitus pinnulatus (Forster, 1801) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
Cirrhitus pinnulatus, the stocky hawkfish, whitepsotted 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.
Cirrhitus pinnulatus was first formally described in 1801 as Labrus pinnulatus by the German naturalist and explorer Johann Reinhold Forster from Tahiti. Forster's manuscript description 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. When the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède created the genus Cirrhitus he placed a single species within it, his own Cirrhitus maculatus which was later shown to be a synonym of Forster's Labrus pinnulatus, under the name C. maculatus this species is the type species of its genus. [3] The specific name pinnulatus means "pinnulated", perhaps a reference to the fringe of cirri on the rear margin of the front nostril. [4]
Three subspecies of this species are currently recognised:
In 1950 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, [3] while FishBase treats these names as synonyms of C. pinnulatus. [6] It may be that records of C. pinnulatus sensu lato from the east African coast and possibly elsewhere in the Indian Ocean, refer to C. spilotoceps. [1]
Cirrhitus pinnulatus has a body which has a standard length of roughly three times its depth. The head has a short, blunt snout and a large mouth which extends back as far as the rear edge of the eye which has a low bony ridge above it. [7] The mouth has 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. They have a fringe of cirri on the posterior margin of the anterior nostril. [8] The upper margin of the preopercle has fine serrations. The continuous dorsal fin has 10 spines and 11 soft rays, there is a deep incision between spiny and soft rayed parts of the fin and a tassel of cirri near tip of each spine. The anal fin has 3 spines and 6 soft rays> The caudal fin gently rounded and the pectoral fins do not extend as far as the tips of pelvic fins, The pectoral fin rays number 14 with the lower 7 unbranched and robust. [7] This species attains a maximum total length of 30 cm (12 in), although 23 cm (9.1 in) is more typical. [2] The overall colour of this hawkfish is brown with white blotches and irregular reddish-brown spots on the body, The head is marked with sinuous reddish-orange lines and spots. There is a dark saddleilike blotch on the dorsal part of the caudal peduncle. [9]
Cirrhitus pinnulatus has a wide Indo-West Pacific distribution being found from the Red Sea and the east African coast south as far as Port Alfred in South Africa east across the Indian Ocean and into the Pacific where it reaches as far east as Hawaii, south to New Caledonia and Australia and north to the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan. [1] In Australia it is found at Ningaloo Reef and Scott Reef in Western Australia, Cartier Reef in the Timor Sea and from Lizard Island to Escape Reef on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, it also occurs at Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. [9] It occurs at depths between 1 and 23 m (3 ft 3 in and 75 ft 6 in) but is typically found at depths of less than 15 m (49 ft). [1] This species is found in exposed areas such as the surge zone on the seaward sides of reefs and along rocky coastlines. [9]
Cirrhitus pinnulatus is a nocturnal species. It is a predator which mainly feeds on crabs. [7] It will also feed on other crustaceans, small fishes, sea urchins or brittle stars. They are pelagic spawners, the pair ascend into the water column to release their gametes. They are likely to be protogynous hermaphrodites but further study is needed to confirm this. [2]
Cirrhatus pinnulatus is taken by subsistence fisheries and is normally caught from shore using hook and line, the catch is sold fresh. [1]
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 heiroglyphic 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 arc-eye hawkfish, the ringeye hawkfish, horseshoe hawkfish or whiteline hawkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is found in shallow waters in the tropical Indo-Pacific on reefs, resting on coral heads much of the time.
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 black-side hawkfish, freckled hawkfish or Forster's hawkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is from the Indo-Pacific. It is occasionally found in the aquarium trade and is also of minor importance to local commercial fisheries. It grows to a total length of 22 cm (9 in).
Paracirrhites xanthus, the yellow hawkfish or the blueline yellow hawkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. it is found in the eastern central Pacific. It can be found in the aquarium trade.
The whitespot hawkfish, the halfspotted hawkfish, multicolored hand-fish and ornate hawkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
