Whitespot hawkfish
| Paracirrhites hemistictus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Paracirrhites hemistictus from French Polynesia. Pale morph | |
| Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Cirrhitidae |
| Genus: | Paracirrhites |
| Species: | P. hemistictus |
| Binomial name | |
| Paracirrhites hemistictus (Günther, 1874) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The whitespot hawkfish, Paracirrhites hemistictus, also known as the Halfspotted hawkfish, Multicolored hand-fish and Ornate hawkfish,[3] is a species of hawkfish belonging to the Cirrhitidae family.[4]
Description
Paracirrhites hemistictus can grow to 29 cm (11 in) in total length.[5][6] These fishes have 10 dorsal spines, 3 anal spines and elongated pectoral fin rays. They occur in two different colour forms. The pale form shows a pinkish face, and small dark spots on the upper half of the body (hence the name of Halfspotted hawkfish), with a large white longitudinal band along the sides. The dark form is greyish with dark brown spots along the body and one white large spot on each side.[5][7][8]
Distribution and Habitat
This species is widespread in the Eastern Indian Ocean and in the West and Central Pacific Ocean, north to Japan, south to Australia and in all islands of Oceania (except Hawaii and Easter Island).[5][7]
Biology
These uncommon fishes can be found on tropical reefs at depths around 1 to 20 m (3.3 to 65.6 ft). They are solitary and usually perch on coral branches, gorgonians and rocks. They feed on small fishes and crustaceans.[5] Male maintains a harem of a few females.[7]