''Hoplolatilus marcosi'', the redback sand 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 250px, Blue blanquillo, ''Malacanthus latovittatus'' Tilefishes are mostly small perciform marine fish comprising the family Malacanthidae. They are usually found in sandy areas, especially near coral reefs. Commercial fisheries exist for th ...

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 250px, Blue blanquillo, ''Malacanthus latovittatus'' Tilefishes are mostly small perciform marine fish comprising the family Malacanthidae. They are usually found in sandy areas, especially near coral reefs. Commercial fisheries exist for th ...

. It is native to the western central

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

''Hoplolatilus marcosi'' has an elongated fusiform body with a slightly forked caudal fin.it is distinctive within the genus by having a horizontal red stripe running either side of the lateral line, although this looks black from a distance. The dorsal fin contains 9 spines and 16 soft rays while the anal fin has 1-2 spines and 14-15 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of although .

Distribution

''Hoplolatilus marcosi'' is found in the western Pacific Ocean and has been recorded from the Indonesia, Philippines, Palau, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Habitat and biology

''Hoplolatilus marcosi'' is normally found at depths of , although usually deeper than , close to drop offs and in areas of sand or rubble. This species created large mounds of rubble. It feeds on

zooplankton Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...

. The redback sand tilefish is monogamous and forms pairs to

spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment, and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** '' Spawn: Ar ...

. They can live in aggregations and each pair may steal rubble from the mounds of their neighbours.

Systematics

''Hoplolatilus marcosi'' was first formally described in 1978 by Warren E. Burgess with the type locality given as Tingloy Island off Orensi near Mabini,

Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( tl, Lalawigan ng Batangas ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Its capital is the city of Batangas, and is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and La ...

Luzon Island Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political cen ...

, Philippines.

Etymology

The specific name honours

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

(1917-1989) who was president of the Philippines at the time this species was discovered.

Utilisation

''Hoplolatilus marcosi'' occasionally appears in the

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

trade.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2154245 marcosi Taxa named by George H. Burgess Fish described in 1978