Threadfin Hawkfish
Cirrhitichthys aprinus
Summary 2
The spotted hawkfish, Cirrhitichthys aprinus is a species of hawkfish widespread throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific region. A common species, it is found in rocky and coral areas of subtidal coastal reefs.
Description 3
The spotted hawkfish has a body in which the standard length is around two and a half times its depth. They have a strongly serrated preoperculum and a body which is covered in cycloid scales. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 12 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 6 soft rays. The dorsal spines are tipped with short white filaments. The lower 7 pectoral fin rays are robust and unbranched. The pelvic fins extend past the anus and the caudal fin is weakly emarginate. This species attains a maximum total length of 12.5 cm (4.9 in). The overall background colour of this species is whitish with wide dark reddish-brown vertical bars on the flanks. These are broken by light bars containing rhombus-shaped dark patches where they cross the lateral line. There is a pale-margined dark circular spot on the upper edge of the operculum and each eye has 3-4 dark bars radiating outwards from it. The caudal fin is translucent and unmarked.
Sources and Credits
- (c) John Sear, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by John Sear
- Adapted by John Sear from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirrhitichthys_aprinus
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_hawkfish
