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Paracirrhites hemistictus

(Halfspotted Hawkfish, Halfspotted Hawkfish, Multicolored Hand-Fish, Ornate Hawkfish, Ornate Hawkfish, Whitespot Hawkfish, Whitespot Hawkfish)

Overview:

Family: Hawkfishes; An uncommon species (Ref. 9710) that inhabits exposed reef fronts and outer reef slopes to a depth of about 18 m where it perches on rocks and corals. Absent from most large continental islands (Ref. 9710). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 9710.

Taxonomy

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  • Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
    • Kingdom: Animalia Linnaeus, 1758 - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
      • Subkingdom: Bilateria (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians

Unambiguous Synonyms:

  1. Cirrhites hemistictus Günther, 1874
  2. Cirrhites polystictus Günther, 1874
  3. Paracirrhites polystictus (Günther, 1874)
  4. Paracitthites hemistictus (Günther, 1874)

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Data last modified by FishBase 20-Mar-1995

Physical Description

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Family Cirrhitidae:

Distribution: tropical western and eastern Atlantic, Indian and Pacific (mainly Indo-Pacific). Continuous dorsal fin with 10 spines, 11-17 soft rays; interspinal membranes with cirri. Anal fin 5-7 soft rays. Scales ctenoid or cycloid. Vertebrae 26-28. Maximum length about 55 cm. Species usually small and very colorful; inhabits rocks and corals. Have many features in common with the scorpaenids. Feed on small crustaceans and fishes. Protogynous hermaphrodites, with few dominant males. Spawning takes place in open water near the surface. Adapt well to aquarium conditions.

The family Cirrhitidae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and the Order Perciformes. It contains 9 genera and 32 species. It may be found in Marine environments and is primarily Marine. Many members of this family are used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are nonguarders. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is subcarangiform. Etymology of this family name: Related voice to Greek, kirrhos = Latin cirrus = curl, fringe

Images:

Distribution

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Range and Population

Indo-Pacific: Cocos-Keeling and Christmas islands in the eastern Indian Ocean to the Line, Marquesan, and Ducie islands, north to the Bonin Islands, south to New Caledonia and Austral Islands. Absent from most large continental islands[1].

Habitat

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Biome

Saltwater. Reef-associated.

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Paracirrhites:

There are approximately 15 species and subspecies in this genus: P. arcatus · P. arcatus (Arc Eye) · P. areatus · P. bicolor · P. fasciatus · P. foresteri · P. forsteri (Blackside Hawkfish) · P. forstin · P. fosteri · P. hemistictus (Halfspotted Hawkfish) · P. hemistictus var. hemistictus · P. hemistictus var. polystictus · P. nisus · P. pinnulatus · P. xanthus

Bibliography

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  • Allen, G.R. and R.C. Steene (1988). Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island Natural History Association, Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, 6798, Australia. 197 p.
  • Dalzell, P., S.R. Lindsay and H. Patiale. (1991). Fisheries resources survey of the Island of Niue. Tech. Doc. Inshore Fish. Res. Proj. S. Pac. Comm 3. A report prepared in conjunction with the South Pacific Commission Inshore Fisheries Research Proje
  • Kailola, P.J. (1987). The fishes of Papua New Guinea: a revised and annotated checklist. Vol. II Scorpaenidae to Callionymidae. Research Bulletin No. 41, Research Section, Dept. of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Papua New Guinea.
  • Masuda, H., K. Amaoka, C. Araga, T. Uyeno and T. Yoshino (1984). The fishes of the Japanese Archipelago. Vol. 1 (text). Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. 437 p. (text), 370 pls.
  • McCormack, G. (2000). Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage database. Sent by Gerald McCormack as RTF document in May 2000 for use in FishBase.
  • Myers, R.F. (1991). Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.
  • Myers, R.F. (1999). Micronesian reef fishes: a comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia, 3rd revised and expanded edition. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 330 p.
  • Randall, J.E. (1997). Randall's underwater photos. Collection of over 2,000 underwater photos (slides). Unpublished.
  • Randall, J.E., H. Ida, K. Kato, R.L. Pyle and J.L. Earle (1997). Annotated checklist of inshore fishes of the Ogasawara Islands. Nat. Sci. Mus. Monogr. (11):1-74.
  • Smith, A. and P. Dalzell (1993). Fisheries resources and management investigations in Woleai Atoll, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia. Inshore Fish. Res. Proj., Tech. Doc., South Pacific Commission. Noumea, New Caledonia. 64 p.
  • Wass, R. C. (1984). An annotated checklist of the fishes of Samoa. Natl. Ocean. Atmos. Adminis. Tech. Rept., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., Spec. Sci. Rept. Fish. (781).

More Info

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Notes

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Contributors:

  • Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
  • Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 9, 2006.
  • FishBase
  • FishBase 2006.
  • Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 02, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 3 providers.
  • Randall, John E. (from FishBase).

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 02, 2008:

  • Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History: Vertebrate specimens
  • Museum national d'histoire naturelle: Ichtyologie
  • Royal Ontario Museum: Fish specimens

Identifiers:

Footnotes:

  1. Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994). Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.

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Last Revised: May 15, 2008