Threadfin Hawkfish
Cirrhitichthys aprinus
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Order
- Perciformes
- Family
- Cirrhitidae
- Genus
- Cirrhitichthys
- Species
- Cirrhitichthys aprinus
The threadfin hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys aprinus), also called the spotted hawkfish, is a small hawkfish covered in reddish-brown blotches, with a dark spot on its gill cover. The tips of its dorsal spines carry small tufts of cirri.
It grows to around 12 cm and perches on rocks, sponges and coral, often under ledges or near the base of the reef. It ambushes small crustaceans and fish, darting out from its perch before returning to the same spot.
The threadfin hawkfish lives in the western Pacific, including the Philippines, where it is regularly seen on reef slopes and rocky areas.