Common Name: Lyretail Hawkfish

Distribution: Common in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa to Tonga, north to Japan, south to New Caledonia and southeastern Australia, northern New Zealand. In Australia recorded from Shark Bay and Exmouth region in Western Australia, Queensland south to southern New South Wales and including Lord Howe Island.

Ecological Notes: Frequents steep slopes and small coral heads exposed to current, clear water reefs, rocky areas. Recorded from 132 m, usually more than 20 m.

Additional Notes: Robust body and lack of distinctive markings, colour varies from yellowish to orange/brown. Feeds in the water column on zooplankton, where it hovers several metres above the bottom. Colour varies through shades of brown to orange. Sometimes seen in association with Pseudanthias squamipinnis. Grows to 12 – 14 cm. 

References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.232.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://fishbase.ca/summary/Cyprinocirrhites-polyactis.html. Accessed 13/05/18.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=Cyprinocirrhites+polyactis. Accessed 13/05/18.