FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 72. NO. 4 



Cirrhitops fasciatus (Bennett) — 

 'o'opu kaha 'iha 'i 



This hawkfish is numerous on both coral and 

 basah reefs, and unhke the two species of Para- 

 cirrhites, above, occurs in exposed positions at 

 night as well as during the day. In typical hawk- 

 fish fashion, it generally rests immobile on the sub- 

 stratum, except when attacking prey; thus, it is 

 difficult to differentiate periods of activity from 

 periods of inactivity. 



Twenty-three specimens (76: 39-91 mm) were 

 collected during night and day. Seven of nine 

 speared from exposed positions under moonlight 

 between 4 and 5 h after sunset contained prey that 

 appeared to have been recently ingested. In addi- 

 tion, three of six individuals taken during the 

 hour immediately before first morning light also 

 contained relatively fresh prey. The daytime situ- 

 ation is reflected by specimens that were collected 

 during afternoons, where the stomachs from six of 

 eight individuals contained prey, much of it rela- 

 tively fresh. Items in the 16 specimens containing 

 identifiable prey are listed in Table 50. 



CONCLUSION. — Cirrhitops fasciatus regu- 

 larly feeds during both day and night, mostly 

 on xanthid crabs and other benthic crustaceans. 



Cirrhitus pinnulatus (Bloch and Schneider) — 

 po'o pa a 



This hawkfish is numerous at depths of less 

 than 5 m in and around crevices on surge-swept 

 basalt reefs (Figure 5). Corals in this habitat are 

 mostly isolated heads of Pocillopora meandrina 

 and encrusting patches ofPorites compressus. As 

 do other hawkfishes, C. pinnulatus generally rests 

 motionless on the substratum. During the day it 

 usually remains under at least partial cover; at 

 night it more frequently occurs in exposed posi- 

 tions on the reef. 



All 32 specimens ( 152: 103-221 mm) that were 

 examined were resting immobile on the reef when 

 speared, most of them partially concealed in crev- 

 ices. Of 17 taken during the afternoon, 14 had 

 empty stomachs, and 3 contained material exten- 

 sively damaged by digestion. In contrast, of 15 

 that were taken between 1 h before first morning 

 light and 2 h after sunrise, only 4 had empty 

 stomachs, whereas each of the other 11 had the 

 stomach full of food, much of it fresh. Items in the 

 14 individuals containing identifiable material 

 are listed in Table 51. 



Most of the xanthid crabs among these gut con- 

 tents were Trapezia, a genus common among 

 branches of the coral Pocillopora. Hiatt and 

 Strasburg ( 1960) also reported a crab of this genus 

 in one C. pinnulatus that they examined from the 



Table 50. — Food of Cirrhitops fasciatus. 



988 



