The ocean whitefish ( Caulolatilus princeps), also known as the ocean tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the family Malacanthidae, the Tilefish. It is native to the Eastern Pacific Ocean. It may also be known as the blanquillo or whities.
Taxonomy and etymology
The ocean whitefish was first formally described in 1840 as
Latilus princeps by the English
Natural history Leonard Jenyns (1800–1893). The type specimen was collected in the Galapagos by
HMS Beagle.
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) 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.
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 centerline of the body in front of the
dorsal fin. The gill cover has a short blunt spine while the preoperculum is serrated, and is quite sharp. 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.
The overall color is pale brown with a white abdomen. The
pectoral fins are colored greenish-blue and yellow while the dorsal fin is yellow.
This species can reach a length of fish measurement. The greatest recorded weight for this species is , but most fish are under .
Distribution
The ocean whitefish is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Here it ranges from Southern
British Columbia to Central
Peru, possibly as far south as Northern
Chile. It is also found at almost all of the Eastern Pacific
Archipelago, except for Clipperton Island.
It prefers warmer waters and is most common on the banks and offshore islands of the coast of California, from Point Conception in Santa Barbara County south to Baja California 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 over sandy or muddy substrates.
[ It is a solitary species which shelters during the night in Kelp forest or in Reef. It is a predatory fish which has a diet comprising crabs, shrimp, large krill, squid, Anchovy, and lanternfish.][ The ocean whitefish also forages by digging into the substrate.][
]
This species has an extended spawning season which runs from the late autumn into early spring. The eggs are fertilized externally, and the larvae live a Pelagic fish lifestyle until growing larger and adapting a more Demersal fish lifestyle. They are sexually mature at 3–5 years old and may live for 13 years.
The predators of the ocean whitefish include the giant sea bass ( Stereolepis gigas), school shark ( Galeorhinus galeus) and California sea lion ( Zalophus californianus).[ Known parasites include the trematodes Choanodera caulolatili, Choricotyle caulolatili, Jaliscia caballeroi and Myzotus vitellosus.][ ]
Relation to humans
The ocean whitefish is caught as bycatch off California by the Demersal fish commercial fishery using Longline fishing or hook and line tactics. It is also a popular fish for sport fishing.[ The taste of the meat has been regarded as good, with soft texture and small flakes, but the skin is recommended to be removed before cooking on account of it not tasting very good.]
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