Caulolatilus cyanops
Blackline Tilefish
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Malacanthidae (Tilefishes)
Caulolatilus
Caulolatilus cyanops (Blackline Tilefish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
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Characters
Elongate and elliptical in profile, darkly pigmented predorsal ridge, well-developed opercular spine, deeply emarginate caudal fin. Dorsal profile of head moderately convex. Mouth terminal, upper jaw extending to near anterior margin of orbit. Posterior naris enclosed in tube possessing flap. Upper jaw with outer row of 17 or 18 canine teeth, lower jaw with 15 canine teeth. Both jaws with one antrorse tooth in corner and patch of villiform teeth on either side of symphysis. Preoperculum with fine serrae along posterior margin and coarse serrae along ventral margin. Operculum with well-developed spine about half length of pupil diameter. Gill rakers on first arch number 17 to 21. Measurements: head length 27%–32% SL, predorsal-fin length 30%–35% SL, body depth 25%–31% SL; snout length 27%–41% head length, upper jaw length 33%–41% head length, orbit diameter 23%–41% head length. Pectoral fin long and pointed with 16 to 18 (usually 16) rays. Dorsal fin originates slightly posterior to pectoral fin base with seven spines and 23 or 24 rays. Anal fin with one or two spines and 20 to 23 rays. Scales ctenoid on body and cycloid on head, extending to anterior margin of orbit on top of head. Caudal fin covered with small scales. Lateral line runs parallel to dorsal profile with 75 to 82 pored scales. Cheek scale rows number 8 to 13.
Blue to violet dorsally with silvery yellow sheen and chainlike pattern, milky white ventrally. Black stripe runs below length of dorsal fin, and black spot on axil of pectoral fin. Spinous section of dorsal fin orangish yellow, and bases of caudal fin lobes yellow.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from North Carolina to northern South America, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Greater and Lesser Antilles.
Northern and southern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Between 45 and 495 m depth
Biology
Maximum known size is 342 mm SL
Inhabits sandy and muddy bottoms. Possibly construct burrows in the seafloor sediments (Ref. 101572). Feeds on invertebrates and small fishes (Ref. 26235). Marketed fresh and is highly appreciated as a food fish.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external. Oviparous (Ref. 41560).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-01-29. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Dooley 1978
Dooley 2002
Castro-Aguirre and Márquez-Espinoza 1981
Robins and Ray 1986
Dennis and Bright 1988a
Boschung 1992
Smith 1997
Dooley, J.K. (1978) Branchiostegidae. In W. Fischer (ed.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. West Atlantic (Fishing Area 31). Volume 1. FAO, Rome.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Dooley, J.K. (1978) Systematics and biology of the tilefishes (Perciformes: Branchiostegidae and Malacanthidae) with descriptions of two new species. NOAA Tech. Rep. NMFS Circ. No. 411:1-78.
Cervigón, F. (1993) Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 2. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 497 p.
Moser, H.G. (1996) Malacanthidae: tilefishes. p. 990-993. In H.G. Moser (ed.) The early stages of fishes in the California Current Region. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) Atlas No. 33. 1505 p.
Comments On Caulolatilus cyanops