Species: Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps, Great Northern tilefish, Great northern tilefish, the tilefish

prominent crest with flap on nape
operculum with blunt flap

Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps Goode & Bean, 1879
Great northern tilefish, Tilefish
Body robust, quadrangular; head relatively deep, squarish to rounded in profile; a large fleshy knob on nape a little before dorsal fin; operculum with a soft blunt tab instead of a spine; preoperculum serrated on vertical edge; a barbel on rear corner of top lip; gill rakers 22-26; dorsal fin VII, 15 rays; anal I, 14; tail fin with straight edge, upper and lower tips extended slightly; scales rough on body, smooth on head; pored lateral line scales 66-75.
Head blue-green, with pink tint; a light silver stripe under eye to upper operculum; cheek and chin white; back and side blue-grey, with small yellow spots; belly white; dorsal grey, spines and rays yellow; tail fin with 8-9 bars formed by fused yellow spots, dusky otherwise.
Reaches 125 cm; IGFA world record 25.54 kg.
Lives on sand and mud bottoms
Depth range: 80-540 m, usually 100-200 m.
Nova Scotia to Surinam.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Soft bottom only
- Sand & gravel
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Mud
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Sea-stars/cucumbers/urchins
- Data
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- All species.
- Regional Endemism
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- Extends South of GC
- Extends North of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Extends N + S of GC
- Continent only
- All species..
- Continent
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Temperate (>35N)
- IUCN Red List
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- Endangered
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 125
- Depth Range Min
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- 80
- Depth Range Max
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- 540