About Paracirrhites hemistictus (Günther, 1874)
Paracirrhites hemistictus, commonly known as the whitespot hawkfish, has a more elongated body than other species in its genus; its standard length measures 2.8 to 3.2 times its body depth. It has a large mouth that extends to below the center of the eye. Fine serrations cover the upper two fifths of its preopercle. It has a continuous dorsal fin with 10 spines and 11 soft rays; each spine has a single cirrus at its tip, and the membranes between the spines are notched. Its anal fin has 3 spines and 6 soft rays. There are 14 pectoral fin rays, and the lower 7 rays are robust and unbranched. The caudal fin is slightly rounded, with sharp tips on its upper and lower lobes. This is the largest species in its genus, reaching a maximum total length of 29 cm (11 in), with a more typical maximum length of 20 cm (7.9 in). Two distinct color forms exist for this species. The pale form has black spots on the upper half of the body, a pinkish face, and a white stripe running along its flanks. The dark form is grey, with dark brown spots covering the entire body. Both forms have a white or pinkish spot roughly the same size as the eye on the flank. The whitespot hawkfish has a wide distribution across the Indo-Pacific, and it prefers oceanic insular waters over waters close to continents or large islands. Its range extends from Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean, east through the Pacific to the Kiribati Line Islands and the Pitcairn Islands, north to the Ogasawara Islands of southern Japan, and south to the Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia, and Fiji. This species is normally found at depths between 1 m and 18 m (3 ft 3 in and 59 ft 1 in); it has also been recorded at greater depths in parts of Micronesia, including the Line Islands. It occurs on wave- and current-exposed reef fronts and outer reef slopes.
