The ocean whitefish (''Caulolatilus princeps''), also known as the ocean tilefish, 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 native to the eastern

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

Description

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 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 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 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 ...

has 1-3 spines and 22-26 soft rays. 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. This species can reach a length of

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

. The greatest recorded weight for this species is .

Distribution

The ocean whitefish is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Here it ranges from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

south to central Peru. It is also found at almost all of the eastern Pacific archipelagos, except for Clipperton Island. It prefers warmer waters and is commonest on the banks and offshore islands of the coast of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, from Point Conception in Santa Barbara County south to

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

in Mexico.

Habitat and biology

The ocean whitefish is found at depths between . It is found mainly over rocky substrates, but may also be encountered on Sandy or muddy substrates too. 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 Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

, large krill,

squid True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting t ...

, anchovies, and

lanternfish Lanternfishes (or myctophids, from the Greek μυκτήρ ''myktḗr'', "nose" and ''ophis'', "serpent") are small mesopelagic fish of the large family Myctophidae. One of two families in the order Myctophiformes, the Myctophidae are represente ...

. The ocean whitefish forages by digging into the substrate. The predators of the ocean whitefish include the

giant sea bass The giant sea bass (''Stereolepis gigas'') is a fish native to the North Pacific Ocean. Although commonly referred to as a giant sea bass, black sea bass or giant black sea bass, it is actually a wreckfish in the family Polyprionidae rather than ...

(''Stereolepis gigas''),

school shark The school shark (''Galeorhinus galeus'') is a houndshark of the family Triakidae, and the only member of the genus ''Galeorhinus''. Common names also include tope, tope shark, snapper shark, and soupfin shark. It is found worldwide in temperate ...

(''Galeorhinus galeus'') and

California sea lion The California sea lion (''Zalophus californianus'') is a coastal eared seal native to western North America. It is one of six species of sea lions. Its natural habitat ranges from southeast Alaska to central Mexico, including the Gulf of C ...

(''Zalophus californianus''). Known parasites include the trematodes ''

Choanodera caulolatili Apocreadiidae is a family of parasitic worms in the class Trematoda. Characteristics Members of the family are characterised by having extensive vitelline (yolk producing) follicles, eye-spot pigment dispersed in the front half of the body, a ro ...

'', '' Choricotyle caulolatili'', '' Jaliscia caballeroi'' and '' Myzotus vitellosus''.

Systematics

The ocean whitefish was first formally described in 1840 as ''Latilus princeps'' by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

naturalist Leonard Jenyns (1800-1893). The type specimen was collected in the Galapagos by ''

H.M.S. Beagle HMS ''Beagle'' was a 10-gun brig-sloop of the Royal Navy, one of more than 100 ships of this class. The vessel, constructed at a cost of £7,803 (roughly equivalent to £ in 2018), was launched on 11 May 1820 from the Woolwich Dockyard on th ...

''. 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. Hubbs’s tilefish (''

Caulolatilus hubbsi ''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 Hu ...

'') 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 The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...

of this species.

Utilisation

The ocean whitefish is caught as

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juve ...

off California by the

groundfish Demersal fish, also known as groundfish, live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes (the demersal zone).Walrond Carl . "Coastal fish - Fish of the open sea floor"Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated 2 March 2009 They occ ...

fishery using hook and line. It is also a popular fish for

sport fishing Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is professional fishing for profit; or subsistence fishing, which is fishing ...

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2431784

Ocean whitefish 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. Description The ocean whitef ...

Fish described in 1840