Redbarred hawkfish
A Hawaiian endemic hawkfish with a history of taxonomic confusion.
The redbarred hawkfish (Cirrhitops fasciatus) is a marine ray-finned fish belonging to the hawkfish family Cirrhitidae. This species lives only in the Hawaiian Archipelago in the Pacific Ocean.
Its classification has a tangled history. English naturalist Edward Turner Bennett first described it in 1828 as Cirrhites fasciatus, with the type locality listed as the Hawaiian Islands. The following year, Georges Cuvier published a description under the same species name, giving the type locality as Puducherry, India. Albert Günther later mistakenly believed Cuvier’s name predated Bennett’s, so he proposed a replacement name, Cirrhites cinctus. However, because Cuvier’s work came a year after Bennett’s, Cuvier’s name was invalid and Günther’s replacement was unnecessary. (The genus name Cirrhites was a common misspelling of Cirrhitus.) In 1951, South African ichthyologist J. L. B. Smith created the genus Cirrhitops, designating Cirrhites fasciatus as its type species. Smith considered the genus monotypic at the time. The species was then known from both Hawaii and the southwestern Indian Ocean, with no records from the vast area between them—Cuvier’s Indian locality being an error. In 2008, John Ernest Randall and Jennifer K. Schultz co-authored a paper describing a new species, Cirrhitops mascarenensis, from the southwestern Indian Ocean, based on genetic and morphological analyses. This clarified that the redbarred hawkfish is indeed endemic only to the Hawaiian archipelago. The specific name fasciatus means “banded,” referring to the four thick bands on its body.
In terms of physical traits, the redbarred hawkfish has the upper two and lower six pectoral fin rays unbranched. Its dorsal fin contains 10 spines and 14 (sometimes 15) soft rays; each spine tip has a tassel of cirri, and the membranes between them have moderate incisions, except for a deep notch between the fifth and sixth spines. A small number of tiny teeth are present on the roof of the mouth. The upper three-fifths of the preoperculum margin is coarsely serrated, while the rest is smooth. The snout’s dorsal profile is convex. The caudal fin is truncate, and the pelvic fin extends past the anus. Maximum total length reaches 12.7 cm (5.0 in). The head and body are whitish with reddish or brown vertical bands on the flanks and back, plus speckling on the face.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Cirrhitops fasciatus
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The redbarred hawkfish was first formally described in 1828 by English naturalist Edward Turner Bennett, who named it Cirrhites fasciatus with the type locality given as the Hawaiian Islands. In 1829, Georges Cuvier described a species with the same name, giving the type locality as Puducherry in India. Albert Günther mistakenly thought Cuvier's description predated Bennett's and proposed the replacement name Cirrhites cinctus, but Cuvier's name was invalid because it was published a year after Bennett's. In 1951, South African ichthyologist J. L. B. Smith erected the genus Cirrhitops, designating Cirrhites fasciatus as the type species and stating the genus was monotypic. The species was known from both Hawaii and the southwestern Indian Ocean, with no records from between these areas, and Cuvier's Indian locality was considered an error. In 2008, a paper co-authored by John Ernest Randall and Jennifer K. Schultz described a new species, Cirrhitops mascarenensis, from the southwestern Indian Ocean based on genetic and morphological analyses, resolving the redbarred hawkfish as endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago. The specific name fasciatus means 'banded', referring to the four thick bands on the body.
Reader's Guide
The redbarred hawkfish is a benthic species that perches on corals and sponges to watch for prey, which includes small fishes, crustaceans, and small amounts of sipunculids and zooplankton such as larval shrimps, copepods, amphipods, and larval gastropods. It is found at depths between 1 and 52 meters across a range of reef habitats and habitats associated with reefs. The species attains a maximum total length of 12.7 cm. Its background color is whitish with reddish or brown vertical bands on the flanks and back, and speckling on the face. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 14 (occasionally 15) soft rays, with each spine bearing a tassel of cirri at its tip; the membranes between spines have moderate incisions, with a deep incision between the fifth and sixth spines. The upper three-fifths of the preoperculum margin has large serrations, while the rest is smooth. The snout's dorsal profile is convex, the caudal fin is truncate, and the pelvic fin extends past the anus. The redbarred hawkfish is occasionally found in the aquarium trade.
Did You Know?
- The redbarred hawkfish was first described in 1828 by Edward Turner Bennett as Cirrhites fasciatus.
- Records from Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands refer to a different species, Cirrhitops mascarenensis.
- The species is endemic to the Hawaiian Archipelago and is found at depths from 1 to 52 meters.
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