Whitespot hawkfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Whitespot hawkfish |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Paracirrhites hemistictus from French Polynesia | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Cirrhitidae |
| Genus: | Paracirrhites |
| Species: |
P. hemistictus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Paracirrhites hemistictus (Günther, 1874)
|
|
| Script error: The function "autoWithCaption" does not exist. | |
| Synonyms | |
|
|
Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".
The whitespot hawkfish is a cool type of hawkfish, a marine fish with fins like rays. It's also known as the halfspotted hawkfish, multicolored hand-fish, or ornate hawkfish. This fish belongs to the family called Cirrhitidae. You can find it living in the warm waters of the Indo-Pacific region.
Contents
About the Whitespot Hawkfish Name
The whitespot hawkfish was first officially described in 1874. A German-born British scientist named Albert Günther gave it the scientific name Cirrhites hemistictus. He found this fish near the Society Islands. The name hemistictus means "half spotted." This refers to the small dark spots on the upper part of its body.
At the same time, Günther also described another fish called Cirrhites polystictus. This one had spots all over its body. However, scientists later realized that Cirrhites polystictus was just a different color version of the same fish. So, Cirrhites polystictus became a synonym for Cirrhites hemistictus.
What Does the Whitespot Hawkfish Look Like?
The whitespot hawkfish has a body that is quite long compared to other fish in its group. Its length is about 2.8 to 3.2 times its height. It has a big mouth that reaches below the center of its eye.
Its dorsal fin (the one on its back) has 10 strong spines and 11 soft rays. Each spine has a small, hair-like growth called a cirrus on its tip. The anal fin (on its belly) has 3 spines and 6 soft rays. It also has 14 pectoral fin rays, with the bottom 7 being thick and unbranched. The caudal fin (tail fin) is slightly rounded with sharp tips on its upper and lower parts.
This fish is the biggest in its group. It can grow up to 29 cm (11 in) long, which is about 11 inches. However, most of them are usually around 20 cm (7.9 in) (about 8 inches).
Whitespot Hawkfish Colors
Whitespot hawkfish come in two main color patterns:
- Pale Form: This version has black spots only on the top half of its body. It has a pinkish face and a white stripe running along its sides.
- Dark Form: This version is grey with dark brown spots all over its body.
Both color forms usually have a white or pinkish spot on their side. This spot is about the same size as their eye.
Where Do Whitespot Hawkfish Live?
The whitespot hawkfish lives across a large area called the Indo-Pacific region. This includes waters from Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean. It stretches east across the Pacific Ocean to the Kiribati Line Islands and the Pitcairn Islands. You can also find them north near the Ogasawara Islands of southern Japan, and south near the Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia, and Fiji.
These fish seem to prefer waters around islands in the open ocean, rather than close to large continents. They usually live at depths between 1 and 18 m (3 ft 3 in and 59 ft 1 in) (about 3 to 60 feet). However, they have been seen deeper in some areas, like in Micronesia. They like to live on the edges of reefs and on outer reef slopes. These are places that are often exposed to waves and ocean currents.
Whitespot Hawkfish Behavior and Diet
The whitespot hawkfish is not a very common fish. You can find them on tropical reefs at depths from about 1 to 20 m (3.3 to 65.6 ft). They are usually found alone. They like to sit quietly on coral branches, gorgonians (sea fans), and rocks.
These fish are predators. They eat small fish and tiny sea creatures called crustaceans. Male whitespot hawkfish are known to have a group of a few females that they protect.
