| Ocean whitefish | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acanthuriformes |
| Family: | Malacanthidae |
| Genus: | Caulolatilus |
| Species: | C. princeps |
| Binomial name | |
| Caulolatilus princeps (Jenyns, 1840) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
The ocean whitefish (Caulolatilus princeps), also known as the ocean tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It is native to the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The ocean whitefish has a sturdy, quadrangular body with a relatively deep head which has a steep profile and a small mouth extending to the front of the eye. There is a fleshy ridge along the centreline of the body in front of the dorsal fin. The gill cover has a short blunt spine while the preoperculum is serrated. The dorsal fin contains between 7 and 10, normally 9, spines and 24–27 soft rays while the anal fin has 1–3 spines and 22–26 soft rays. [3] The overall colour is pale brown with a white abdomen. The pectoral fins are coloured greenish-blue and yellow while the dorsal fin is yellow. [4] This species can reach a length of 102 centimetres (40 in) total length. The greatest recorded weight for this species is 5.8 kilograms (13 lb). [2]
The ocean whitefish is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Here it ranges from British Columbia south to central Peru. It is also found at almost all of the eastern Pacific archipelagos, except for Clipperton Island. [1] It prefers warmer waters and is commonest on the banks and offshore islands of the coast of California, from Point Conception in Santa Barbara County south to Baja California in Mexico. [4]
The ocean whitefish is found at depths between 3 and 150 m (9.8 and 492.1 ft). [1] It is found mainly over rocky substrates, but may also be encountered on Sandy or muddy substrates too. [2] This species has an extended spawning season which runs from the late autumn into early spring. The egg as and larvae are pelagic. They are sexually mature at 3–5 years old and May live for 13 years. It is a solitary species which shelters during the night in kelp or in rocky reefs. It is a predatory fish which has a diet comprising crabs, shrimp, large krill, squid, anchovies, and lanternfish. [4] The ocean whitefish forages by digging into the substrate. [2]
The predators of the ocean whitefish include the giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas), school shark (Galeorhinus galeus) and California sea lion (Zalophus californianus). [4] Known parasites include the trematodes Choanodera caulolatili , Choricotyle caulolatili , Jaliscia caballeroi and Myzotus vitellosus . [5]
The ocean whitefish was first formally described in 1840 as Latilus princeps by the English naturalist Leonard Jenyns (1800–1893). The type specimen was collected in the Galapagos by H.M.S. Beagle . [6] The specific name princeps means “first” or “most important”, the reason for the name was not explained but maybe because it was larger than its presumed congeners at the time Jenyns named it. [7] Hubbs’s tilefish ( Caulolatilus hubbsi ) was described as a new species from the Galápagos Islands in 1978 but since then studies have shown that it is not readily distinguishable from C. princeps and should be considered a junior synonym of this species. [8]
The ocean whitefish is caught as bycatch off California by the groundfish fishery using hook and line. It is also a popular fish for sport fishing. [4]
Tilefishes are mostly small perciform marine fish comprising the family Malacanthidae. They are usually found in sandy areas, especially near coral reefs. They have a long life span, up to 46 years (females) and 39 years (males).
Micropogonias is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the eastern Pacific and western Atlantic Oceans.
Hoplolatilus starcki, Stark's tilefish, purple-headed sand tilefish or bluehead tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. This species is native to the central Indo-Pacific.
Hoplolatilus marcosi, the redback sand tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It is native to the western central Pacific Ocean.
Prionotus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Triglidae, one of two genera belonging to the subfamily Prionotinae, the searobins. These fishes are found in the Western Atlantic Ocean and eastern Pacific Ocean, in the waters off both North and South America.
Pontinus furcirhinus, one of a number of species known as the "red scorpionfish", is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Caulolatilus cyanops, the blackline tilefish or ocean whitefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
The Gulf bareye tilefish, also known as the anchor tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean.
The blue blanquillo, also known as the banded blanquillo, striped blanquillo, false whiting, sand tilefish or eye of the sea, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific.
Pacific spotted scorpionfish, or the stone scorpionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is the largest species in the genus Scorpaena and, like the other species in that genus, it is protected by venomous spines.
Branchiostegus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes, tilefishes, belonging to the family Malacanthidae. They are found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean through the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific Ocean. Here they create burrows in soft substrates in the comparatively deep waters of the continental shelf and slope.
Caulolatilus is a genus of tilefishes native to the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the Americas. This genus is regarded as the least specialised and the most basal of the tilefishes.
Nebris is a small genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. There are two species in the genus, one in the Western Atlantic Ocean and one in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Pareques is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the western Atlantic Ocean and eastern Pacific Ocean.
Malacanthus brevirostris, the quakerfish, flagtail blanquillo, false whiting or stripetail tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.
Caulolatilus chrysops, the Atlantic goldeneye tilefish or gold face tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Caulolatilus hubbsi, the Hubbs's tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It occurs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Its specific name honours the American ichthyologist Carl Leavitt Hubbs (1894-1979). Studies have shown that this taxon is not readily distinguishable from Caulolatilus princeps and should be treated as a junior synonym of C. princeps.
Malacanthus plumieri, the sand tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Cheilotrema is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Odontoscion is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the croakers and drums. These fishes are found in the Western Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans.
