Hawkfishes

Related Articles: Longnose Hawkfish, Hawkfishes of the Cook Islands,

The Conscientious Marine Aquarist

Hawkfishes, Family Cirrhitidae
Part I

To: Part II, III

By Bob Fenner

Paracirrhites forsteri, Fiji

"Excuse me; I'm sorry, I think you have a dead fish." "Oh, really? Where? (Not that Hawkfish again!) "Well yes, look closely; you'll detect that beauty is still alive. It's just it's habit to hang out on a rock, coral or the bottom like that. To observe real "hawk-like" behavior, all one need do is watch for a while. When something of interest catches the Hawkfish's eye, it is quick to swoop up or down and investigate."

Hawkfishes are peculiar fishes that fill a void that no other fish can or does. Their chubby bodies and unique coloring are a must for every type of marine system. They go from the reef tank to the community tank with a wide range of compatible tank-mates.

Their seemingly continuous, sedentary "perching" is about the only negative thing that can be said about the Hawkfishes. These colorful, interesting fishes are undemanding in terms of water quality & foods; they get along well with other species and are generally fast-enough and tankmate-wise to avoid being hassled. But remember; their mouths are quite large, so watch out when adding shrimps and small fishes because your Hawkfish is watching out for them.

Classification:

Hawkfishes comprise twenty seven species in nine genera currently. Their distribution range is mainly Indo-Pacific with two species in the tropical West and East Atlantic. All are marine. Most species are found in shallow water with some to a few hundred feet.

They bear a close resemblance to the Rockfishes/Scorpionfishes/Lionfishes (family Scorpaenidae) except in lacking their prominent head spines. Hawkfishes have a continuous hard and soft dorsal fin of ten spines, often with cirri (see above photo: they look like small pom-poms) at their tips. Ray counts are eleven to seventeen for the soft dorsal fin, five to seven soft rays for anal fins. They have 26 to 28 vertebrae.

The pectoral fins are distinctive in having elongated, unbranched lower rays. The tail fin is squared off.

Another important trait is that the cirrhitid family lacks swim bladders; allowing them to be rapidly decompressed after capture.

Species/Notes of Interest to Aquarists:

Amblycirrhitus bimacula (Jenkins 1903), the Two Spot Hawkfish. Indo-Pacific: East Africa to Hawai'i. To three or so inches in length. Found in shallow turbulent water.

Amblycirrhitus pinos (Mowbray 1927), the Ruby or Red Spotted Hawkfish. One of only two Caribbean species. To almost four inches in length. It is hardy, inexpensive (usually less than $20.00) and readily available. One of five in this genus. One in a L.A. wholesaler's cubicle, and one in Cozumel.

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Cirrhitichthys aprinus Cuvier 1829, the Spotted Hawkfish. N. Sulawesi images of younger and older individuals.
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Genus Cirrhitichthys:

Cirrhitichthys aureus (Temminck & Schlegel 1842), the Yellow or Golden Hawkfish. Tropical Indo-West Pacific. To 14 cm. Aquarium pic.

Cirrhitichthys falco Randall 1963, the Dwarf Hawkfish. A mottled Hawkfish commonly imported mainly from the Philippines. To nearly three inches total length. Aquarium and Fiji images. There are six species in this genus of Hawkfishes.
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To: Part II, III

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