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[[Family Cirrhitidae]] Key to the genera of Cirrhitidae 1a. Snout not elongate, its length about 2.8-4.1 in head length; body not slender, the depth 2.0-3.4 in SL; canine teeth in jaws markedly longer than inner villiform teeth, those at front of upper jaw and side of lower jaw enlarged................... 2 1b. Snout elongate, its length 1.85-2.0 in head length; body slender, the depth 4.4-4.6 in SL; canine teeth in jaws only slightly longer than inner villiform teeth and nearly uniform in size............................................ Oxycirrhites 2a. Caudal fin rounded, truncate, or slightly emarginate; dorsal soft rays 11-15; snout not short, its length 2.7-3.8 in SL....................................... 3 2b. Caudal fin lunate; dorsal soft rays 16 or 17; snout short, its length 3.6-4.1 in head length................................................ Cyprinocirrhites 3a. Small scales on cheek in more than 12 rows.............................. 4 3a. Rows of large scales on cheek 4-6 (small scales also usually present)........... 8 4a. Lower 7 pectoral rays unbranched and thickened; first 2 supraneural bones in space before second neural spine; more than 40 cirri in 2 series on posterior flap of anterior nostril............................................................ 5 4b. Lower 6 pectoral rays unbranched and thickened; first 3 supraneural bones in space before second neuralspine; fewer than 15 cirri on posterior flap of anterior nostril.......6 5a. Supraorbital ridge high, continuing more than half eye diameter posterior to orbit; lower opercular spine acute, forming an angle of 45° or less; no scales in interorbital space; pectoral fins reaching slightly beyond a vertical at tips of pelvic fins; body depth 3.1-3.35 in SL............................. Cristacirrhitus, new genus 5b. Supraorbital ridge low and not continuing posterior to eye; lower opercular spine forming an angle of 90°; a V-shaped band of scales in posterior half of interorbital space; pectoral fins short, not reaching a vertical at tips of pelvic fins; body depth 2.6-3.1 in SL................................................. Cirrhitus 6a. Dorsal soft rays 13; three-fourths or more of preopercular margin coarsely serrate; palatine teeth absent; body very deep, the depth2.0-2.4 in SL, and very compressed, the width 2.9-3.1 in depth; longest pectoral rays not extending beyond a vertical at pelvic-fintips............................................. Neocirrhites 6b. Dorsal soft rays 11-12; about upper half of preopercular margin finely or coarsely serrate; palatine teeth present; body not very deep, the depth 2.6-3.3 in SL, and not very compressed, the width 1.9-2.3 in depth; longest pectoral rays extending beyond a vertical at pelvic-fintips............................................. 7 7a. Upper margin of preopercle finely serrate (25 or more serrae); exposed end of posttemporal finely serrate; first (most medial) branchiostegal ray strongly curved and nearly parallel with second ray; gill membrane across throat naked; scales on cheek separated from serrate edge of preopercle by a broad naked zone crossed by irregular sensory channels (may show as ridges); no scales on snout; scales ventrally on chest extremely small; 3 rows of large scales above lateral line in middle of body; dorsal soft rays 12................................ Notocirrhitus, new genus 7b. Upper margin of preopercle coarsely serrate (fewer than 13 serrae); exposed end of posttemporal with 3-5 serrae; first (most medial) branchiostegal ray nearly straight and not parallel to second ray; gill membrane across throat scaled; scales on cheek extending to base of preopercular serrae; scales on snout extending to below anterior nostrils; scales ventrally on chest one-half or more size of scales on side of body; 4 rows of large scales above lateral line in middle of body; dorsal soft rays 12-14 (rarely 12 or14)................................... Itycirrhitus, new genus 8a. Rows of large scales above lateral line to base of spinous portion of dorsal fin 5; a single cirrus from membrane near tip of each spine of dorsal fin; membranes between longest dorsal spines incised at most one-fifth spine length; palatine teeth absent.................................................. Paracirrhites 8b. Rows of large scales above lateral line to base of spinous portion of dorsal fin 3 or 4; a tuft of cirri from membrane near tip of each spine of dorsal fin; membranes between longest dorsal spines incised one-third or more of spine length; palatine teeth present or absent................................................ 9 9a. Palatine teeth absent; maxilla reaching to or beyond a vertical through middle of eye; dorsal spines short, the longest 2.9-3.2 in head length; dorsal profile of head convex; lower 5 pectoral rays unbranched; interorbital fully scaled; snout not pointed; preorbital without a free posterior margin................. Isocirrhitus 9b. Palatine teeth present; maxilla not reaching a vertical through middle of eye; dorsal spines 1.7-3.0 in head length; dorsal profile of head straight to slightly convex; lower 5 to 7 pectoral rays unbranched; interorbital scaled or naked; snout pointed or not pointed; preorbital with or without a free posterior margin............... 10 10a. Dorsal soft rays 14-15 (rarely 15); first 2 pectoral rays unbranched; snout not pointed, the dorsal profile from interorbital to upper lip convex; interorbital naked............................................................ Cirrhitops 10b. Dorsal rays 11-13 (rarely 13); first pectoral ray unbranched, second branched; snout pointed, the dorsal profile straight; interorbital scaled or naked.......... 11 11a. Preopercular margin finely serrate; first 2 supraneural bones in space before secondneural spine; preorbital without a free hind margin; interorbital scaled; first dorsal soft ray not produced into a filament; lower 5 (rarely 6) pectoral rays unbranched........................................................... Amblycirrhitus 11b. Preopercular margin coarsely serrate; all 3 supraneural bones in space before second neural spine; preorbital with a free hind margin for one-fourth to one-half distance from lower edge to eye; interorbital not scaled; first dorsal soft ray usually produced into a filament; lower 6 or 7 pectoral rays unbranched............. Cirrhitichthys

Cristacirrhitus Randall, gen. nov. DESCRIPTION. Dorsal rays X,11; anal rays III,6; pectoral rays 14, the uppermost and lower 7 unbranched; lateral-line scales 40-43; 4 rows of large scales above lateral line in middle of body; 9 large scales below lateral line to origin of anal fin; small scales on cheek in more than 15 oblique rows, with additional rows of embedded scales in narrow zone adjacent to preopercular margin; no scales in interorbital space or on snout; exposed scales ventrally on chest progressively smaller anteriorly, the smallest about half height of largest scales on side of body; anterior scales of chest with auxiliary scales; gill rakers 6-7 + 11- 12; supraorbital ridge high and sharp, continuing more than half eye diameter posterior to eye; lower opercular spine acute, forming an angle of 45�� or less; upper half of preopercular margin very finely serrate, the lower half membranous; mouth large, the maxilla reaching or extending slightly beyond a vertical through middle of eye, and slightly oblique; dentition typical of the family; numerous cirri on posterior flap of anterior nostril; body depth 3.1-3.35 in SL; head length 2.6-2.8 in SL; snout length 3.2-3.4 in head; orbit diameter4.45-5.2 in head; bony interorbital width 6.25-7.3 in head; fourth to sixth dorsal spines longest and subequal, 2.9-3.0 in head; a tuft of cirri from membrane near tip of each dorsal spine; second anal spine 2.1-2.25 in head; caudal fin truncate, the lower rays progressively longer than upper; pectoral fins 1.25-1.4 in head, the longest rays reaching slightly beyond a vertical at tips of pelvic fins; pelvic fins nearly or just reaching anus; body with five faint dark bars on about dorsal half with scattered black dots, mostly within or at edges of dark bars and beneath pectoral fins, the largest and most strongly pigment dots along base of dorsal fin; head with scattered black dots, mostly on postorbital region and opercle; dots forming two curved lines posterior to eye. TYPE SPECIES. Cirrhitus punctatus Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1829. Illustrated in Schultz (1950: pl. 13 B, as Cirrhitus nigropunctatus) and Randall (1963: fig. 4, as Cirrhitus punctatus). TYPE LOCALITY. Madagascar. ETYMOLOGY. Crista from the Latin for crest, in combination with Cirrhitus, in reference to the strong supraorbital ridge of the type species. REMARKS. Cristacirrhitus differs principally from Cirrhitus in the very pronounced suprorbital ridge that continues well posterior to the orbit (resulting in a deeply concave, nearly V-shaped, interorbital space, and an indented dorsal profile of the nape), the acute lower opercular spine, the presence of scales in the posterior interorbital space, the more elongate body, and longer pectoral fins. Randall (1963) designated MNHN 2772, 136 mm SL, collected at Madagascar by Quoy & Gaimard, as the lectotype of Cirrhitus punctatus. The specimen is preserved in alcohol and in good condition. Schultz (1950) created a synonym of Cristacirrhitus punctatus when he described Cirrhitus nigropunctatus from two specimens from Mauritius. Schultz in Schultz & collaborators (1960: 259) placed Cirrhitus mossambicus Smith, described from two juvenile specimens from Mozambique, in the synonymy of C. nigropunctatus, and he was followed by Randall (1963). However, the collection of a juvenile of Cirrhitus pinnulatus in the Hawaiian Islands with the identical color pattern of Smith���s illustration of C. mossambicus provided for a correction. C. mossambicus is a synonym of C. pinnulatus. Smith (1951: 628) recorded one 225-mm specimen of Cirrhitus nigropunctatus [= Cristacirrhitus punctatus] from Durban as the first record for the African coast. He wrote, ���Appears to be differentiated from pinnulatus...���, but his additional remarks indicated he was unsure of his identification. Cristacirrhitus punctatus is otherwise known only from Madagascar and Mauritius (and doubtless R��union). In order to determine if C. punctatus positively occurs in South Africa, Joan Wright of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology in Grahamstown was asked to check for specimens of this species. She reported finding two adults in the collection from the Natal coast, RUSI 38079 from Kosi Bay and RUSI 43502 from Sodwana Bay. MATERIAL EXAMINED. MADAGASCAR: MNHN 2772, 136 mm (lectotype of Cirrhitus punctatus Cuvier).MAURITIUS: MCZ 5761, 137 mm;MCZ 37223, 149 mm (paratype of C. nigropunctatus);USNM 13218, 138 mm (holotype of C. nigropunctatus)., Published as part of John E. Randall, 2001, Revision of the generic classification of the hawkfishes (Cirrhitidae), with descriptions of three new genera., pp. 1-12 in Zootaxa 12 on pages 6-7