Cirrhitichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, hawkfishes, from the family Cirrhitidae.

[2] The name of this genus is a compound of Cirrhitus, referring to the similarity between the two genera, although there are differences in dentition, and ichthys meaning “fish”.

[3] The currently recognized species in this genus are:[4] Cirrhitichthys hawkfishes have an oval, moderately compressed body with a sharp, more or less straight-profiled snout.

[6] Cirrhitichthys hawkfishes are predatory, using the "sit and wait" technique to ambush benthic prey which can be invertebrates or fish, perching on their thickened lower pectoral fin rays among sponges and corals.

[8] They are pelagic spawners rising upwards into the water column in pairs to spawn.