blackspotted hawkfish
Cristacirrhitus punctatus
- Usual depth2 m
- Water temperature23–29 °C
- Best monthsMay, November, and December
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Benoit NABHOLZ, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
About this species
The blackspotted hawkfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is native to rocky shores of the western Indian Ocean. This species grows to 17 cm (6.7 in) in total length. This species is the only known member of its genus.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Blackspotted hawkfish”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 1 records
- February: 0 records
- March: 0 records
- April: 1 records
- May: 2 records
- June: 1 records
- July: 0 records
- August: 1 records
- September: 1 records
- October: 0 records
- November: 2 records
- December: 2 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 2 m · Deepest record: 2 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 23–29 °C
Names and classification
- English
- blackspotted hawkfish, Black-spotted Hawkfish
Names in 1 more languages
- Spanish
- Halcón de manchas negras
Other scientific names: Cirrhitus mossambicus, Cirrhitus nigropunctatus, Cirrhitus puncatus, Cirrhitus punctatus
Similar species
Coral hawkfishCirrhitichthys oxycephalus
Arc-eye hawkfishParacirrhites arcatus
Blackside hawkfishParacirrhites forsteri
Twinspot HawkfishAmblycirrhitus bimacula
Redspotted hawkfishAmblycirrhitus pinos
Spotted hawkfishCirrhitichthys aprinus
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 15 open-data records from 1950 to 2010.
- Species data updated November 1, 2026.
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