tilefish

tilefish
/tuyl"fish'/, n., pl. (esp. collectively) tilefish, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) tilefishes.
1. a large, brilliantly colored food fish, Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps, of deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
2. any of several related fishes of the family Branchiostegidae.
[1880-85, Amer.; TILE + FISH]

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Any of 24 species (family Branchiostegidae, or Malacanthidae) of slender marine fishes found in shallow tropical and warm temperate seas.

Tilefish are used as food, especially the large Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps, a deepwater fish of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico with a fleshy appendage on the head and yellow spots on its upper body and some of its fins. Tilefish have a large oblique mouth with strong canines and one rather long dorsal fin with weak spines.

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fish
also called  blanquillo,  

      any of about 40 species of elongated marine fishes in the family Malacanthidae (order Perciformes), with representatives occurring in tropical and warm temperate seas. Malacanthidae is formally divided into the subfamilies Malacanthinae and Latilinae; however, some taxonomists consider the Latilinae distinct enough to make up their own separate family (Branchiostegidae).

      The most commercially important species, known specifically as the tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps), is the largest, often attaining lengths of more than 90 cm (3 feet). The tilefish has a peculiar history as a commercial fish. Living at depths of 60–365 m (200–1,200 feet), the species was not known until 1879, when it became commercially attractive because of its abundance in the western Gulf Stream. Then, in 1882, hundreds of millions of dead tilefish were brought to the surface after a series of severe storms. No living specimens were seen for the next 10 years, although commercial harvests later resumed. The tilefish dieoff is now thought to have been caused by the upwelling of cold waters into the fishes' customary warm-water habitat.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • tilefish — ☆ tilefish [tīl′fish΄ ] n. pl. tilefish or tilefishes (see FISH) [< ModL (Lophola)til(us) + FISH] any of a family (Malacanthidae) of percoid fishes that live in the deep waters of the sea, including some large food fishes; esp., a W Atlantic… …   English World dictionary

  • Tilefish — Tile fish , n. (Zo[ o]l.) A large, edible, deep water food fish ({Lopholatilus cham[ae]leonticeps}) more or less thickly covered with large, round, yellow spots. [1913 Webster] Note: It was discovered off the Eastern coast of the United States in …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Tilefish — Tilefishes Blue blanquillo, Malacanthus latovittatus Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia …   Wikipedia

  • tilefish — /ˈtaɪlfɪʃ/ (say tuylfish) noun (plural tilefish or tilefishes) 1. a colourful, deep water, marine fish, Branchiostegus wardi, of eastern Australian coastal waters. 2. a large, brilliantly coloured food fish, Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps, of the… …  

  • tilefish — noun Etymology: tile modification of New Latin Lopholatilus Date: 1881 any of various marine bony fishes (family Malacanthidae) used as food; especially a large fish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) of deep waters of the Atlantic and Gulf of… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • tilefish — noun Mostly small, perciform marine fish in the family Malacanthidae; an important food fish. Syn: blanquillo …   Wiktionary

  • tilefish — n. large edible deep sea fish …   English contemporary dictionary

  • tilefish — tile•fish [[t]ˈtaɪlˌfɪʃ[/t]] n. pl. (esp. collectively) fish, (esp. for kinds or species) fish•es. 1) ich a large, brilliantly colored food fish, Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps, of deep Atlantic waters, having a flap on the head 2) ich any of… …   From formal English to slang

  • tilefish — noun 1. important marine food fishes • Syn: ↑blanquillo • Hypernyms: ↑percoid fish, ↑percoid, ↑percoidean • Member Holonyms: ↑Branchiostegidae, ↑family Branch …   Useful english dictionary

  • USS Tilefish (SS-307) — USS Tilefish (SS 307), a Balao class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the tilefish, a large, yellow spotted deepwater food fish. Her keel was laid down on 10 March 1943 at Vallejo, California, by the Mare… …   Wikipedia

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