Cirrhitichthys
Spotted Hawkfish, (C. aprinus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Cirrhitidae
Genus: Cirrhitichthys
Bleeker, 1857
Type species
Cirrhites graphidopterus
Bleeker, 1853[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Acanthocirrhitus Fowler, 1938
  • Cirrhitopsis Gill, 1862

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.

Taxonomy

Cirrhitichthys was first formally described in 1857 by the Dutch ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker. The type species designated by Bleeker was Cirrhites graphidopterus which had been described by him in 1853,[1] although this taxon has subsequently been considered a synonym of Cirrhites aprinus which Georges Cuvier had described in 1829.[2] The name of this genus is a compound of Cirrhitus, referring to the similarity between the two genera, although there are differences in dentition, and ichthys meaning “fish”.[3]

Species

The currently recognized species in this genus are:[4]

Characteristics

Cirrhitichthys hawkfishes have an oval, moderately compressed body with a sharp, more or less straight-profiled snout. The anterior nostril has a tuft of cirri on its posterior margin. The mouth is moderately large with a row of small canine-like teeth on the jaws and a band of simple teeth within the outer band. There are patches of teeth on the middle and sides of the roof of the mouth. The margin of the preoperculum has quite large serrations and the gill cover has 2 flattened spines. The dorsal fin is continuous, with 10 spines and 11-12 soft rays, there is a slight incision between the spines and the soft rays. The membranes between the dorsal fin spines deeply notched and each spine has a sizeable tuft of cirri at its tip. The anal fin has 3 spines and 5-7 soft rays. The caudal fin is truncate. The lower 5-7 pectoral fin rays are robust with deep incisions in the membranes between them and they are notably longer than the other rays. The upper 1-2 and lower 6-7 pectoral fin rays are simple. The pelvic fin has a single spine and 5 soft rays and has its origin to the rear of the base of the pectoral fin.[5] Their total length varies from 7 cm (2.8 in) in the dwarf hawkfish (C.s falco) and 14 cm (5.5 in) in the yellow hawkfish (C. aureus).[4]

Distribution and habitat

Cirrhitichthys hawkfishes are mainly found in the Indo-West Pacific[4] with one species, the coral hawkfish (C. oxycephalus) extending into the eastern Pacific.[5] These fishes are associated with coral and rocky habitats.[6]

Biology

Cirrhitichthys hawkfishes are predatory, using the "sit and wait" technique to ambush benthic prey which can be invertebrates or fish, perching on their thickened lower pectoral fin rays among sponges and corals.[7] They are protogynous hermaphrodites, all start out as female and live in harems, if the male is lost the largest and more dominant female will change sex.[8] They are pelagic spawners rising upwards into the water column in pairs to spawn.[9]

Utilisation

Cirrhitichthys hawkfishes are collected for the aquarium trade.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Cirrhitidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  2. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Cirrhitichthys". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  3. ↑ 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 10 July 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2021). Species of Cirrhitichthys in FishBase. June 2021 version.
  5. 1 2 "Genus: Cirrhitichthys, Hawkfishes". Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  6. ↑ "Fish Search Serach Result". HK Fish Net. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  7. ↑ "Cirrhitichthys aprinus Cirrhitidae". Reef Life Survey. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Hawkfishes". Saltcorner. Bob Goemans. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  9. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2021). "Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus" in FishBase. June 2021 version.
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