Cirrhitidae

Cirrhitidae, commonly known as hawkfishes, are a family of marine ray-finned fishes that live in tropical seas and are closely tied to coral reef environments. The family was first described by the Scottish-born Australian naturalist William Sharp Macleay in 1841. It belongs to the superfamily Cirrhitoidea, which is placed within the suborder Percoidei of the order Perciformes. Among the five families in Cirrhitoidea, the hawkfishes are considered the most basal. Some authorities have moved them into the order Centrarchiformes, but the fifth edition of *Fishes of the World* does not recognise the Centrarchiformes. The family name comes from the genus *Cirrhitus*, which itself derives from the Greek *cirrhus*, meaning a "lock of hair" or "barbel." This likely refers to the lower, unbranched rays of the pectoral fins, which Bernard Germain de Lacépède called "barbillons" (barbels) when describing the type species *C. maculatus*, mistaking them for false pectoral fins. Another possible origin is the cirri (fleshy tufts) at the tips of the dorsal fin spines, though Lacépède did not mention this feature. Twelve genera are recognized within the family, containing 33 species: *Amblycirrhitus*, *Cirrhitichthys*, *Cirrhitops*, *Cirrhitus*, *Cristacirrhitus*, *Cyprinocirrhites*, *Isocirrhitus*, *Itycirrhitus*, *Neocirrhites*, *Notocirrhitus*, *Oxycirrhites*, and *Paracirrhites*. Hawkfishes have a roughly oblong body, with a depth ranging from 21% to 50% of their standard length. A fringe of cirri lines the rear edge of the forward nostrils. The gill cover bears two poorly developed spines. The outer row of jaw teeth is canine-like, with the longest teeth typically at the front of the upper jaw and the middle of the lower jaw; inside this row lies a band of bristle-like teeth that is wider toward the front. The continuous dorsal fin has 10 spines and 11 to 17 soft rays, with a notch separating the spiny and soft-rayed sections. The anal fin has three spines and five to seven (usually six) soft rays. There are 14 pectoral fin rays, with the lowest five to seven being unbranched, usually thickened, and separated by deep notches in the membranes. The pelvic fins have one spine and five soft rays. Their scales are cycloid, and they lack a swimbladder. Coloration and patterns vary by species.