Caulolatilus cyanops, the blackline tilefish or ocean whitefish, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

, a tilefish belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Malacanthidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

Description

''Caulolatilus cyanops'' has a sturdy, quadrangular body with a relatively deep head which has a rounded profile. There is a fleshy ridge along the centreline of the body in front of the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

. The gill cover has a short blunt spine and serrations along its vertical margin. It has a body which varies in colour from violet to blue with a dark area on the back which is marked with many lines which form a lattice pattern, in addition there is a dark stripe along the back. The underparts are white. There is a yellow coloured ridge on the nape, silvery cheeks and an angled bluish-green bar which runs from the eye to the upper lip. The membranes of the spinous part of the dorsal fin are orange-yellow, there is a dark blotch above the vase of the pectoral fin while the

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

lobes are mainly yellow. They can reach a length of TL though most are around . The greatest recorded weight for this species is .

Distribution

''Caulolatilus cyanops'' is native to the western

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

where they are found from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

to the northern coast of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. Their range extends into the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.

Habitat and biology

''Caulolatilus cyanops'' inhabits the seafloor in areas with muddy or sandy substrates at depths of from though they are usually found between . They prey on

invertebrates Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

and smaller fishes. They are usually recorded associating with '' C. microps'' and '' C. chrysops''.

Systematics

Caulolatilus cyanops was first formally described in 1866 by the Cuban zoologist Felipe Poey (1799-1891) with the type locality given as Cuba. The specific name cyanops means blue-eye and refers to the stripe between the eye and mouth.

Utilisation

Caulolatilus cyanops is

commercially Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...

important and is also sought after as a game fish. It is especially important asa quarry for commercial fisheries off Venezuela and Colombia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1985001 cyanops Fish described in 1866