HOPLOLATILUS STARCKI - (RANDALL & DOOLEY, 1974)
Picture courtesy of: Alain Daoulas
Poisson couvreur bleu, Blue tilefish, Blue-head tilefish, Bluehead tilefish, Purple-headed sand tilefish, Starck's tilefish, Stark's tilefish,
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 21-23; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 15-16; Vertebrae: 24. Preopercular serrae: 30-57; Lateral line scales: 100-118; Body long and slender; Caudal fin deeply forked; Max. length: 15.5 cm TL. Depth range: 20 - 105 m, usually: 20 - 50 m.
Color
Olive brown on back, shading to yellowish on lower sides; Head and pectoral-throat region bright blue; Caudal fin yellow; Small juvenile bright blue.
Etymology
Hoplolatilus: from ancient Greek, hóplon = shield. Hoplites were citizen-soldiers of Ancient Greek city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields. Hoplite soldiers utilized the phalanx formation to be effective in war with fewer soldiers + from Latin, latus = wide, broad.
starcki: the species is named in honor of Dr Walter A. Starck, whose collecting efforts, photos, and observations added much to our knowledge of the genus Hoplolatilus.
Etymology
Hoplolatilus: from ancient Greek, hóplon = shield. Hoplites were citizen-soldiers of Ancient Greek city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields. Hoplite soldiers utilized the phalanx formation to be effective in war with fewer soldiers + from Latin, latus = wide, broad.
starcki: the species is named in honor of Dr Walter A. Starck, whose collecting efforts, photos, and observations added much to our knowledge of the genus Hoplolatilus.
Original description: Hoplolatilus starcki Randall & Dooley, 1974 - Type locality: outside fringing reef, northwestern Cocos Island, Guam, Mariana Islands, western Pacific, depth: 75 feet.
Distribution
Biology
Inhabits patches of talus or rubble of steep outer reef slopes. Usually seen in pairs that quickly dive headfirst into their burrow when disturbed. Juveniles occasionally school with similarly colored juveniles of Pseudanthias pascalus (Jordan & Tanaka, 1927). It can also be found in the aquarium trade. Stomach contents of 6 adult specimens consisted of copepods (31.4 % by volume), pelagic tunicates (31 %, larvaceans, plus Oikopleura), fish eggs (28.6 %), siphonophores (5.5 %), larval shrimps (1.2 %), fish (0.8 %), amphipods (0.7 %), unidentified decapod larvae (0.5 %), and heteropods (0.3 %).
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: Indonesia east to Philippines and New Ireland (Papua New Guinea), south to northern Australia, New Caledonia and Solomon Islands.
Biology
Inhabits patches of talus or rubble of steep outer reef slopes. Usually seen in pairs that quickly dive headfirst into their burrow when disturbed. Juveniles occasionally school with similarly colored juveniles of Pseudanthias pascalus (Jordan & Tanaka, 1927). It can also be found in the aquarium trade. Stomach contents of 6 adult specimens consisted of copepods (31.4 % by volume), pelagic tunicates (31 %, larvaceans, plus Oikopleura), fish eggs (28.6 %), siphonophores (5.5 %), larval shrimps (1.2 %), fish (0.8 %), amphipods (0.7 %), unidentified decapod larvae (0.5 %), and heteropods (0.3 %).
Last update: 2, April 2023