214.1 Amblycirrhitus bimacula
(Jenkins, 1903)
PLATE 83
Twospot hawkfish
Tweekol-valkvis
Cirrhitoidea bimacula Jenkins, 1903: 459, Fig. 36 (Honolulu); Smith,
1955: 309*; 1961: 567, No. 393a. Amblycirrhitus bimacula: Randall, 1963:
427*; Smith, 1965: 30.
D X,12; A III,6; P 14 (uppermost and lower 5 rays unbranched); LL
40-42; 3 scale rows above LL; 4 or 5 rows of large scales on cheek; GR
(3-5)+(11-12) ; body depth 2.8-3 .0 in SL; interorbital space scaled;
palatine teeth present; preopercle finely serrate; a tuft of cirri from membrane near tip of each D spine.
About 10 slightly irregular dark bars on body (sometimes
broken into spots) and 2 narrow diagonal bars on cheek; a
large ocellated black spot on opercle and another at base of
soft D. Attains 8 cm. Indo-Pacific on coral reefs or rocky
bottom; extends south to Durban.
Genus Cirrhitichthys Bleeker, 1856
Nine species, 1 in our area. Cirrhitichthys guichenoti
(Sauvage, 1880), known from Reunion and Mauritius, has a
similar colour pattern to C. oxycephalus, but differs in
having D X,13; A III,7; LL 52-53, and a longer snout
(2.7-2.8 in head compared to 3.5-3.7 for C. oxycephalus);
this species was redescribed by Randall (1980).
214.2 Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus
(Bleeker, 1855)
PLATE 83
Spotted hawkfish
Gespikkelde valkvis
Cirrhites oxycephalus Bleeker, 1855: 408 (Ambon). Cirrhitichthys aprinus (non Cuvier): Smith, SFSA No. 393*. Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus:
Randall, 1963: 437*.
D X,12(rarely 13); A III,6; P 14 (uppermost and lower 6 rays unbranched); LL 41-45; 3 scale rows above LL; 4 rows of scales on cheek ;
GR (3-5)+(10-11); interorbital space not scaled; body depth 2.8-3.0 in
SL; palatine teeth present; preopercle coarsely serrate; a tuft of cirri near
tip of each D spine; membranes of spinous D moderately incised; 1st D
soft-ray elongate (in fish> 35 mm SL); maxilla reaching or extending past
vertical at front edge of eye; 5th D spine longest, 1.7-2.2 in body depth.
214.2 Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus: 7 em (N. Mozambique).
214: CIRRHITIDAE (HAWKFISHES)
Pale with 4 lengthwise rows of subquadrate dark brown
spots; a row of smaller spots on LL between the larger
spots; small dark brown spots on head, those on lower part
arranged in 2 bands ventrally from eye. Attains 95 mm.
Indo-Pacific and tropical eastern Pacific on coral reefs or
rocky bottom; extends south to East London.
Genus Cirrhitus Lacepede, 1803
Six species, 2 in our area.
KEY TO SPECIES
la Supraorbital ridge low; P not reaching vertical
at tips of V; longest unbranched P rays only
slightly longer than longest branched rays .... .. .......... C. pinnulatus
Ib Supraorbital ridge high ; P reaching slightly past
vertical at tips of V; longest unbranched Prays
nearly ~ longer than longest branched rays ......... .. .. .. C. punctatus
214.3 Cirrhitus pinnulatus
(Schneider, 1801)
PLATE 83
Marbled hawkfish
Marmer-valkvis
Labrus pinnulatus Schneider, in Bloch & Schneider, 1801 : 264 (Tahiti).
Cirrhitus pinnulatus: Smith, SFSA No. 394*; Randall, 1963: 396*.
D X,l1; A III,6; P 14 (uppermost and lower 7 rays unbranched) ; LL3942; 4 scale rows above LL; about 12 rows of scales on cheek; GR
(5-7)+(12-14); interorbital space naked; body depth about 3.0 in SL;
palatine teeth present ; preopercle finely serrate ; a tuft of cirri from membrane near tip of each D spine; C slightly rounded.
Body light brown, shading to whitish ventrally, with 3
rows of white spots about the size of eye and numerous
smaller dark brown (brownish red in life) spots (sometimes
obscuring white spots). Largest reported, 28 cm. IndoPacific; in our area south to Port Alfred. An inshore species
of hard substratum exposed to wave action. Schultz (1950)
noted slight differences in number ofLL scales (42-44), GR
and in colour of C. pinnulatus in the Red Sea and named this
variant C. spilotoceps. Randall (1963) preferred to use this
name as a subspecies.
214.4 Cirrhitus punctatus
Cuvier, 1829
Blackspotted hawkfish
Swartgekolde valkvis
Cirrhitus punctatus Cuvier, in Cuv. & Val., 1829: 70 (Madagascar);
Randall, 1963: 398*. Cirrhitus nigropunctatus Schultz, 1950: 547, PI. 13,
Fig. B (Mauritius); Smith, 1953: 517, No. 394a. Cirrhitus mossambicus
Smith, 1951: 629, Fig. 1 (Mozambique Id .); 1961: 567, No. 394b.
D X,l1; A III,6; P 14 (uppermost and lower 7 rays unbranched); LL
40-43; 4 scale rows above LL; small scales on cheek; GR (6-7)+(11-12);
interorbital space naked; body depth 3.1-3.4 in SL; palatine teeth present;
preopercle finely serrate; bony supraorbital ridge high and extending
more than Yz an eye diameter behind eye; a tuft of cirri from membrane
near tip of each D spine.
665
(Jenkins, 1903)
PLATE 83
Twospot hawkfish
Tweekol-valkvis
Cirrhitoidea bimacula Jenkins, 1903: 459, Fig. 36 (Honolulu); Smith,
1955: 309*; 1961: 567, No. 393a. Amblycirrhitus bimacula: Randall, 1963:
427*; Smith, 1965: 30.
D X,12; A III,6; P 14 (uppermost and lower 5 rays unbranched); LL
40-42; 3 scale rows above LL; 4 or 5 rows of large scales on cheek; GR
(3-5)+(11-12) ; body depth 2.8-3 .0 in SL; interorbital space scaled;
palatine teeth present; preopercle finely serrate; a tuft of cirri from membrane near tip of each D spine.
About 10 slightly irregular dark bars on body (sometimes
broken into spots) and 2 narrow diagonal bars on cheek; a
large ocellated black spot on opercle and another at base of
soft D. Attains 8 cm. Indo-Pacific on coral reefs or rocky
bottom; extends south to Durban.
Genus Cirrhitichthys Bleeker, 1856
Nine species, 1 in our area. Cirrhitichthys guichenoti
(Sauvage, 1880), known from Reunion and Mauritius, has a
similar colour pattern to C. oxycephalus, but differs in
having D X,13; A III,7; LL 52-53, and a longer snout
(2.7-2.8 in head compared to 3.5-3.7 for C. oxycephalus);
this species was redescribed by Randall (1980).
214.2 Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus
(Bleeker, 1855)
PLATE 83
Spotted hawkfish
Gespikkelde valkvis
Cirrhites oxycephalus Bleeker, 1855: 408 (Ambon). Cirrhitichthys aprinus (non Cuvier): Smith, SFSA No. 393*. Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus:
Randall, 1963: 437*.
D X,12(rarely 13); A III,6; P 14 (uppermost and lower 6 rays unbranched); LL 41-45; 3 scale rows above LL; 4 rows of scales on cheek ;
GR (3-5)+(10-11); interorbital space not scaled; body depth 2.8-3.0 in
SL; palatine teeth present; preopercle coarsely serrate; a tuft of cirri near
tip of each D spine; membranes of spinous D moderately incised; 1st D
soft-ray elongate (in fish> 35 mm SL); maxilla reaching or extending past
vertical at front edge of eye; 5th D spine longest, 1.7-2.2 in body depth.
214.2 Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus: 7 em (N. Mozambique).
214: CIRRHITIDAE (HAWKFISHES)
Pale with 4 lengthwise rows of subquadrate dark brown
spots; a row of smaller spots on LL between the larger
spots; small dark brown spots on head, those on lower part
arranged in 2 bands ventrally from eye. Attains 95 mm.
Indo-Pacific and tropical eastern Pacific on coral reefs or
rocky bottom; extends south to East London.
Genus Cirrhitus Lacepede, 1803
Six species, 2 in our area.
KEY TO SPECIES
la Supraorbital ridge low; P not reaching vertical
at tips of V; longest unbranched P rays only
slightly longer than longest branched rays .... .. .......... C. pinnulatus
Ib Supraorbital ridge high ; P reaching slightly past
vertical at tips of V; longest unbranched Prays
nearly ~ longer than longest branched rays ......... .. .. .. C. punctatus
214.3 Cirrhitus pinnulatus
(Schneider, 1801)
PLATE 83
Marbled hawkfish
Marmer-valkvis
Labrus pinnulatus Schneider, in Bloch & Schneider, 1801 : 264 (Tahiti).
Cirrhitus pinnulatus: Smith, SFSA No. 394*; Randall, 1963: 396*.
D X,l1; A III,6; P 14 (uppermost and lower 7 rays unbranched) ; LL3942; 4 scale rows above LL; about 12 rows of scales on cheek; GR
(5-7)+(12-14); interorbital space naked; body depth about 3.0 in SL;
palatine teeth present ; preopercle finely serrate ; a tuft of cirri from membrane near tip of each D spine; C slightly rounded.
Body light brown, shading to whitish ventrally, with 3
rows of white spots about the size of eye and numerous
smaller dark brown (brownish red in life) spots (sometimes
obscuring white spots). Largest reported, 28 cm. IndoPacific; in our area south to Port Alfred. An inshore species
of hard substratum exposed to wave action. Schultz (1950)
noted slight differences in number ofLL scales (42-44), GR
and in colour of C. pinnulatus in the Red Sea and named this
variant C. spilotoceps. Randall (1963) preferred to use this
name as a subspecies.
214.4 Cirrhitus punctatus
Cuvier, 1829
Blackspotted hawkfish
Swartgekolde valkvis
Cirrhitus punctatus Cuvier, in Cuv. & Val., 1829: 70 (Madagascar);
Randall, 1963: 398*. Cirrhitus nigropunctatus Schultz, 1950: 547, PI. 13,
Fig. B (Mauritius); Smith, 1953: 517, No. 394a. Cirrhitus mossambicus
Smith, 1951: 629, Fig. 1 (Mozambique Id .); 1961: 567, No. 394b.
D X,l1; A III,6; P 14 (uppermost and lower 7 rays unbranched); LL
40-43; 4 scale rows above LL; small scales on cheek; GR (6-7)+(11-12);
interorbital space naked; body depth 3.1-3.4 in SL; palatine teeth present;
preopercle finely serrate; bony supraorbital ridge high and extending
more than Yz an eye diameter behind eye; a tuft of cirri from membrane
near tip of each D spine.
665