Lyretail Hawkfish

Cyprinocirrhites polyactis

Only hawkfish with sickle tail. It is often confused with anthias. At night, this species also squats on the seabed in the manner typical of its family.

Size : 15 cm

Biology : At steep slopes and current-exposed coral heads, 10-132 m. While other hawkfish squat on the bottom and capture bottom-dwellers, this species usually swims some metres above the seabed and snaps at zooplankton, crustaceans and larvae floating by.

Distribution : East Africa to S Japan, Palau, New Caledonia and Tonga.

Classification

KINGDOM

:

Animalia

PHYLUM

:

Chordata

CLASS

:

Actinopterygii

ORDER

:

Centrarchiformes

FAMILY

:

Cirrhitidae

GENUS

:

Cyprinocirrhites

SPECIES

:

Cyprinocirrhites polyactis

Other Information

Population Status

Least Concern (LC)

PHOTO COLLECTION

Reference

  1. inaturalist.org
  2. Reef Fishes of the Indo-Pacific. Book by Matthias Bergbauer and Manuela Kirschner