Redspotted hawkfish (Amblycirrhitus pinos)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Amblycirrhitus pinos · Authority: (Mowbray, 1927) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 277569.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Pseudocirrhites pinos Mowbray, 1927.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=277569 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 9.5 cm · Depth range: 2–46 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Moderately common in rocky areas and among rubble, often in crevices and shallow caves. Usually lies at rest on the substrate (Ref. 9626). Feeds primarily on small crustaceans, particularly copepods, shrimps and shrimp larvae, crabs and crab larvae as well as polychaetes (Ref. 7510).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 3655) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Amblycirrhitus-pinos.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

21,092 georeferenced occurrence records for Amblycirrhitus pinos are published through GBIF from 36 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 81 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 7 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 (17,738); Puerto Rico (2,424); Brazil (306); Virgin Islands (U.S.) (147); Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (66).

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

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2375113) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2375113&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=277569 (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 Amblycirrhitus pinos (Mowbray, 1927) 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 190418) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/190418/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2375113) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2375113/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The redspotted hawkfish was first formally described as Pseudocirrhites pinos in 1927 by the Bermudan naturalist Louis L. Mowbray with the type locality given as Point Francis on the Isle of Pines in Cuba. In 1829 the French zoologist Georges Cuvier described a species he called Cirrhites fasciatus, giving it a type locality of Puducherry in India. This is now considered to be an error, since the fish described most likely came from the Atlantic Ocean.

When Theodore Nicholas Gill described the genus Amblycirrhitus in 1861 he used Cuvier's C. fasciatus as its type species. However, Cuvier's name was preoccupied by Edward Turner Bennett's 1828 usage of the name for a related species, A. pinos is the type species of Amblycirrhitus under Cuvier's invalid name. Mowbray's specific name pinos refers to the Isle of Pines.

Description

The redspotted hawkfish has an oval, moderately compressed body with a short, sharp snout and a fringe of cirri on the posterior margin of the anterior nostril. It has a moderately large mouth which has a row of small canine-like teeth on the outside of the jaws and a band of simple teeth inside the outer row. It has teeth on the middle and sides of the roof of the mouth. The gill cover has a pair of flattened spines and the preoperculum has fine serrations.

The dorsal fin is continuous with a small incision between the spiny part and the soft rayed part. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 11 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The membranes between the dorsal fin spines are deeply notched and each spine has a tuft of cirri at its tip. The caudal fin is truncate.

There are 5-7 robust rays at the lower part of the pectoral fin which have the membranes between them deeply incised, these are notably lengthier than other pectoral fin rays. The pelvic fin has a single spine and 5 soft rays and has its origin to the rear of the base of the pectoral fin. This species attains a maximum standard length of 9.5 cm. The Redspotted Hawkfish has an overall whitish background colour with several brownish vertical bands on the back and flanks, a dark brown caudal peduncle and numerous red spots on the head and adjacent part of the body.

Distribution and habitat

The redspotted hawkfish is found in the western Atlantic Ocean at depths shallower than 46 m. It is common in rocky areas and where there is rubble, and frequently occupies crevices and small caves.

Its habitat includes Bermuda and the Bahamas, the Florida Keys, Cedar Key off of Florida, the Flower Garden Banks and surrounding area in the Gulf of Mexico; the area ranging from Tuxpan, Mexico along the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula to northwestern Cuba. It also occurs throughout the Caribbean including the Isla de Aves. To the south it is found along the South American coast as far as Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as at Trindade Island.

Biology

The redspotted hawkfish is a benthic fish which normally rests on the marine substrate. It uses its pectoral fins to secure itself against the current and often takes sanctuary in the lumen of tube sponges.

Like other hawkfishes, the redspotted hawkfish hunts by sight, ambushing prey from its station. It mainly eats small crustaceans – such as copepods, shrimps and shrimp larvae, crabs and crab larvae – but it will also prey on polychaetes. It is a pelagic spawner, but little is known about its reproduction.

The redspotted hawkfish is collected for the aquarium trade.

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