Dwarf hawkfish

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Dwarf hawkfish
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Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Cirrhitidae
Genus: Cirrhitichthys
Species:
C. falco
Binomial name
Cirrhitichthys falco
Synonyms
  • Cirrhitichthys serratusJ. E. Randall, 1963

The dwarf hawkfish, (Cirrhitichthys falco), is a small species of hawkfish found on tropical reefs in the Indo-Pacific region from the Maldives to the Caroline Islands and Samoa. It can sometimes be found in the aquarium trade. [2]

Contents

Taxonomy

The dwarf hawkfish was first formally described in 1963 by the American ichthyologist John Ernest Randall with the type locality given as Davao Gulf, Mindanao in the Philippines. [3] The specific name falco is Latin for “falcon”, Randall did not explain the name but it may be a play on the common name hawkfish. [4]

Description

The dwarf hawkfish can reach 7 cm (2.8 in) in total length. The dorsal fin has ten spines with numerous tassels on the tips of the spines. The anal fin has three spines and six soft rays. The pectoral fins are thick and elongated and spread out when the fish is resting on the substrate. This fish is pinkish-red and white in color with vertical banding or mottling. [2]

Distribution and habitat

The dwarf hawkfish is native to the tropical Indo-Pacific. Its range extends from the eastern coast of Africa and the Maldives to Samoa, the Ryukyu Islands, northern Australia, the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia. It is a common member of the reef community on outer reef slopes and flats and is found at depths down to about 45 m (148 ft). [2]

Behavior

The dwarf hawkfish typically rests at the bottom of massive corals. It usually occurs singly but may be in pairs and feeds on fish larvae, small crustaceans and other invertebrates on the seabed. [2]

Like many fish, this species can change sex. A dominant male keeps a harem of several females. If a harem becomes too large, one of the females may become a male and take on part of the harem as a dominant male. What makes this species unusual is that the new male may revert to the female sex if challenged by a more powerful male. A male can become a female and successfully breed, laying fertile eggs. [5]

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<i>Cirrhitichthys</i> Genus of fishes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longnose hawkfish</span> Species of fish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arc-eye hawkfish</span> Species of fish

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<i>Dendrochirus brachypterus</i> Species of fish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coral hawkfish</span> Species of fish

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<i>Cirrhitichthys aureus</i> Species of fish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackside hawkfish</span> Species of fish

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).

<i>Paracirrhites xanthus</i> Species of fish

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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swallowtail hawkfish</span> Species of fish

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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Splendid hawkfish</span> Species of fish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cocos-Keeling angelfish</span> Species of fish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twospot hawkfish</span> Species of fish

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References

  1. Greenfield, D. and Williams, I. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Cirrhitichthys falco". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T67997318A115451031. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T67997318A68001656.en . Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2021). "Cirrhitichthys falco" in FishBase . June 2021 version.
  3. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Cirrhitichthys". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  4. Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (25 February 2021). "Order CENTRARCHIFORMES: Families CENTRARCHIDAE, ELASSOMATIDAE, ENOPLOSIDAE, SINIPERCIDAE, APLODACTYLIDAE, CHEILODACTYLIDAE, CHIRONEMIDAE, CIRRHITIDAE, LATRIDAE, PERCICHTHYIDAE, DICHISTIIDAE, GIRELLIDAE, KUHLIIDAE, KYPHOSIDAE, OPLEGNATHIDAE, TERAPONTIDAE, MICROCANTHIDAE and SCORPIDIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  5. Whyte, C. Transgender fish perform reverse sex flip. New Scientist January 6, 2012.