Cyprinocirrhites polyactis
Lyre-tail hawkfish | Swallowtail Hawkfish
Cyprinocirrhites polyactis, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Cyprinocirrhites polyactis, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Cyprinocirrhites polyactis, NSW, Australia, Photo: Tom Davis
Distribution
Temperate Australasia, Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Robust yellowish to orange-brown body with rounded snout. Lack of distinctive markings, except for a small dark patch on dorsal fin at tip of second dorsal spine, dorsal spines with fin tassels. Behaviour also distinctive - unlike other hawkfishes, this species is often seen above the bottom in the water column, actively swimming and unable to maintain neutral buoyancy. Length to 15 cm.
Information
Max Size: 15 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 19.4-30.2°C
Depth: 10-132 m
Habitat Generalization Index: N/A
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Infrequent (3.0% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Few (4 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Joe Shields