Blackside hawkfish (Paracirrhites forsteri)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Centrarchiformes · Family: Cirrhitidae · Genus: Paracirrhites.

Accepted name: Paracirrhites forsteri · Authority: (Schneider, 1801) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 218867.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Grammistes forsteri Schneider, 1801; Paracirrhites fosteri (Schneider, 1801); Paracirrhites typee Randall, 1963.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218867 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Paracirrhites forsteri. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 22 cm · Common length: 18 cm · Depth range: 0–35 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 12 of 100 · Fishery importance: minor commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Inhabits clear lagoon or seaward reefs to at least 33 m depth (Ref. 9710), but may venture very deep. Occurs openly on coral and soft-bottom habitats, occasionally in pairs (Ref. 48636). Benthic (Ref. 58302). Tends to perch on outermost branches of Stylophora , Pocillopora , and Acropora corals (Ref. 9710).

Feeds mainly on small fishes and crustaceans, sometimes on shrimps and is territorial and haremic (Ref. 37816). Solitary on corals (Ref 90102). Marketed mostly fresh. Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 128797.

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 5952) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Paracirrhites-forsteri.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

12,993 georeferenced occurrence records for Paracirrhites forsteri are published through GBIF from 54 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 360 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 45 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: United States of America (2,243); United States Minor Outlying Islands (2,088); Australia (1,303); Northern Mariana Islands (1,242); Egypt (1,202).

The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 5208733) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5208733&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218867 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Paracirrhites forsteri (Schneider, 1801) as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 67997879) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/67997879/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 5208733) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/5208733/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The blackside hawkfish was first formally described in 1801 as Grammistes forsteri by the French naturalist Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider with the type locality given as Vaitahu on Tahuata Island in the Marquesas Islands. The specific name honours the Polish-born German naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster, who was a naturalist aboard James Cook's second voyage on HMS Resolution and who described this species as "Perca taeniatus" in an unpublished manuscript.

Description

The blackside hawkfish reaches to a maximum total length of about 22 cm. The dorsal fin has ten spines and eleven soft rays, while the anal fin has three spines and six soft rays. There is considerable variation in the colouring both among adults and as a result of changes during growth.

The main colour is usually yellowish but there is a broad black or dark brown lateral band, mainly on the rear half of the body. The sides of the head and the front of the body are whitish or grey, with red speckles. In Asia, juveniles may be reddish dorsally, while in Oceania they tend to have golden-green upper parts and white underparts.

Distribution

The blackside hawkfish is native to the tropical and sub-tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean. Its range extends from East Africa and the Red Sea to Japan, New Caledonia and Australasia. In Australia its range extends from the northwest of Western Australia round the north of the country to the border of Queensland and New South Wales. It is found on the seaward side of reefs and on soft-bottomed lagoons to depths of 30 m and more.

Ecology

The black-sided hawkfish is an ambush predator; it usually lies in wait on a head of coral, propped up by its stiff pectoral fins, ready to dart out at passing crustaceans or small fish. It is mainly a solitary fish, but may be seen in pairs or may form small harems with one dominant male and several females. Like other members of the family, it is a sequential hermaphrodite; adults start life as females but the largest female in a group changes sex to a male if that position is vacated.

Source: Wikipedia: Blackside hawkfish — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackside_hawkfish (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.