Ocean whitefish (Caulolatilus princeps) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over rocky, sand, mud, at depths of 3–150 m.
Scientific name: Caulolatilus princeps · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 102 cm
Weight: up to 5.8 kg
The ocean whitefish (Caulolatilus princeps), also known as the ocean tilefish, is a sturdy, quadrangular-bodied tilefish of the family Latilidae with a deep head, steep profile and small mouth extending to the front of the eye. It ranges through the eastern Pacific from southern British Columbia to central Peru and is most common on the banks and offshore islands of the California coast from Point Conception south to Baja California, living from 3 to 150 m, mainly over rocky substrate but also over sandy or muddy ground. A solitary species, it shelters at night in kelp forests or rocky reefs and preys on crabs, shrimp, large krill, squid, anchovies and lanternfish, and it has an extended spawning season running from late autumn into early spring. In the United States it is a valued boat catch out of southern California, taken on squid or fish strips on bottom rigs over structure, and it reaches 102 cm total length with a greatest recorded weight of 5.8 kg.
A fleshy ridge runs along the centreline of the body in front of the dorsal fin. The gill cover carries a short blunt spine and the preoperculum is serrated and quite sharp. The dorsal fin has between seven and ten spines, normally nine, with 24 to 27 soft rays, and the anal fin has one to three spines with 22 to 26 soft rays. The overall colour is pale brown with a white abdomen, the pectoral fins are greenish-blue and yellow and the dorsal fin is yellow. It also appears at almost every archipelago in the eastern Pacific, though not at Clipperton Island.
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