[3] The specific name pinnulatus means "pinnulated", perhaps a reference to the fringe of cirri on the rear margin of the front nostril.

John Ernest Randall in his 1963 review of the family Cirrhitidae did not recognise these species but treated them as subspecies.

[6] It may be that records of C. pinnulatus sensu lato from the east African coast and possibly elsewhere in the Indian Ocean, refer to C.

The head has a short, blunt snout and a large mouth which extends back as far as the rear edge of the eye which has a low bony ridge above it.

[1] This species is found in exposed areas such as the surge zone on the seaward sides of reefs and along rocky coastlines.

[2] Cirrhatus pinnulatus is taken by subsistence fisheries and is normally caught from shore using hook and line, the catch is sold fresh.