Bluehead Tilefish, Hoplolatilus starcki Randall & Dooley 1974
Other Names: Blue Tilefish, Blue-head Tilefish, Blue-headed Tilefish, Starck's Tilefish
A Bluehead Tilefish, Hoplolatilus starcki, on Shark Reef in the Coral Sea, November 2006. Source: Erik Schlogl / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial
Summary:
A tan to greenish tilefish becoming yellow towards the rear, with broad yellow caudal-fin lobes, and a bright blue head and pectoral-fin base. Juveniles are sky blue.
Pairs usually hover not far above sandy-rubble bottoms, and dive head-first into their burrow when threatened.
Pairs usually hover not far above sandy-rubble bottoms, and dive head-first into their burrow when threatened.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2017, Hoplolatilus starcki in Fishes of Australia, accessed 11 Mar 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/3709
Bluehead Tilefish, Hoplolatilus starcki Randall & Dooley 1974
More Info
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Distribution |
Off Rowley Shoals, Western Australia, and the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland; also reefs in the Coral Sea. Elsewhere, the species occurs in the tropical west-central Pacific. Inhabits sandy-rubble areas on steep outer reef slopes. Pairs usually hover above the bottom, diving headfirst into their burrow when threatened. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin VIII, 21-23; Anal fin II, 15-16; Pectoral fin 18-19; Gill rakers 22-27 (total); Lateral line scales 100-118; Preopercular serrae 30-57; Vertebrae 24. |
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Feeding |
Planktivore - feeds on zooplankton. |
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Species Citation |
Hoplolatilus starcki Randall & Dooley 1974, Copeia 1974(2): 464, fig. 1c, 6-8.Type locality: Guam, Marianas Islands. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2017 |
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Resources |
Bluehead Tilefish, Hoplolatilus starcki Randall & Dooley 1974
References
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.
Dooley, J.K. 1978. Systematics and biology of the tilefishes (Perciformes : Branchiostegidae and Malacanthidae), with descriptions of two new species. National Marine Fisheries Service (U.S.). Circular 411: 1-78.
Dooley, J.K. 1999. Family Branchiostegidae. pp. 2630-2648 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790.
Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp.
Randall, J.E. 1981. A review of the Indo-Pacific sand tilefish genus Hoplolatilus (Perciformes: Malacanthidae). Freshwater and Marine Aquarium 4(12): 39-46.
Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp.
Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs.
Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.
Randall, J.E. & Dooley, J.K. 1974. Revision of the Indo-Pacific branchiostegid fish genus Hoplolatilus, with descriptions of two new species. Copeia 1974(2): 457-471 figs 1-12
