Longnose Hawkfish

ANIMAL:
Longnose Hawkfish Oxycirrhites typus

Type of Animal:
Hawkfish

Habitat:
Outer reef slopes amongst soft/black corals, deep walls in high-current areas w/ soft/black corals, coral reefs, live rock outcrops on reefs, found as deep as 328 ft

Location(s):
Indo-Pacific from E coast of Africa & Red Sea to Hawaii & New Caledonia as well as E Pacific from Gulf of California to Galapagos

Appearance:
White-bodied fish w/ red striping running both horizontally & vertically, long tapered snout, tufted dorsal fin spines

Food/Diet:
Shrimp, copepods, krill, squid, small fish, zooplankton, mussels, carrion

Status in Wild:
Stable

Conservation:
Breeding in aquariums, aquaculture, & zoos. Captive breeding reducing demand for wild-caught fish.

Lifestyle:
Solitary or harems of a male w/ 1-7 females. These fish all born female w/ largest most dominant females becoming males.

Additional Info:

Called:
Male
Female
Young: Fry
Group: School
 
Weight:
Male: 2 oz
Female: 1.5 oz
 
Gestation:
1-2 days 

Life Span:
7 years

Body Length:
Adult: 4.7 in
Young: 0.75 in

Only member of genus Oxycirrhites.
 
Often seen perching on top of corals/rockwork.
 
They’re ambush predators.
 
Rather shy fish.
 
Spawning typically occurs in early evening.
 
Courtship involves male swimming around female raising dorsal fin.
 
Substrate spawners w/ sperm/eggs being released simultaneously into substrate. They’ll also spawn pelagically.
 
Uses pectoral fins to “sit” on rockwork, almost functioning as pair of arms.
 
Get their name due to perching habits, hunting technique, & long snout.
 
Besides using perches to hunt for prey, they also use areas within to hide from predators.
 
These fish have very good eyesight.
 
Most active from dusk to dawn.
 
Males are highly territorial, guarding area fiercely.

Fun Fact(s):
The actual act of spawning only takes 2 seconds for these fish.
 
They’re very fast in short bursts & need to be kept in tightly sealed tank. They’re also good jumpers.
 
Though mouth small, they can open it quite wide.
 
They’re very difficult to breed in captivity.
 
One of most popular hawkfish species in aquariums.
 
All hawkfish lack swim bladders making them poor swimmers & causing them to sink when not swimming. This makes them bottom-dwellers.
 
Due to lacking swim bladder, they can easily make rapid darts upwards & downwards.