Flame Hawkfish

ID points

• Bright red all over, with a ring of black around the eyes
• Thick stiff lower pectoral rays used to prop itself up on coral
• Always wedged among staghorn coral branches, sitting still rather than swimming

Basics

Family

Cirrhitidae

Length

7–10 cm

Depth

1-10 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs

Distribution

Pacific coral reefs

Habitat

Branching corals on shallow reefs

Diet

Small shrimp, planktonic crustaceans

Easily confused with

Longnose HawkfishRed grid pattern on white, like checked clothAnthiasHovers in schools in the water above reef slopesCardinalfishSmall body and large head; the eye takes up almost half the head

Fun fact

The flame hawkfish is a brilliant red all over, with a row of black spots running along the back and a black mark at the tip of the pectoral fins. It likes to perch on top of a coral head or a sea fan and keep watch, and it is fiercely territorial, driving off others of its own kind. Unlike most fish it cannot swim continuously for long, so it props itself up on thickened pectoral fins and rests on the coral until prey comes close enough to rush.