tilefish

Open encyclopedia reference

The great northern tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) or golden tile, is the largest species in the family Malacanthidae (tilefishes). It grows to a length of between 38 and 44 inches (970 and 1,120 mm). The great northern tilefish is a slow-growing and long-lived species that has four stages of life. After hatching from eggs, the larvae are found in plankton. As they grow into juveniles, the individuals seek shelter until finding or making their own burrows. As adults, the tilefish continue to expand their burrows in the sediment throughout their lives. The diet of the larvae is unknown, but presumed to consist of zooplankton; juveniles and adults feed upon various benthic invertebrates, crustaceans, and fish. After reaching sexual maturity between 5 and 7 years of age, females lay eggs throughout the mating season for the male to fertilize, with each female laying an average of 2.3 million eggs. The great northern tilefish fishery has been regulated to prevent overfishing. Regulations include catch limits and gear restrictions to prevent damage to the species' habitat and population.

Wikipedia contributors, Great northern tilefish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:35:34.045917+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps Goode & Bean, 1879

Name authority

Goode & Bean, 1879

Common name

tilefish

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Teleostei

Family

Malacanthidae

Genus

Lopholatilus

Extinction status

Not supplied by this source

Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. familyMalacanthidae Poey, 1861
11. subfamilyLatilinae Gill, 1862
12. genusLopholatilus Goode & Bean, 1879
13. speciesLopholatilus chamaeleonticeps Goode & Bean, 1879

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Lopholatilus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 30 records assigned to Malacanthidae.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. Goode, G. B., & Bean, T. H. (1879). Description of a new genus and species of fish, Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps, from the south coast of New England. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, v. 2 (no. 77): 205–209. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00963801.2-77.205 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:3W3LB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.