Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

Caulolatilus affinis Gill, 1865

blanquillo, cabezón, cabezudo, blanquillo cabezón, Bighead tilefish, pacific golden- eyed tilefish

Size> Grows to at least 50 cm, Individuals from isabela, measuring 214 and 220 mm, are about 14 months old as determined from rings on their otoliths.

Habitat in Galapagos: Generally found close to shore in depths between 30 and 90 m, primarily around the western islands.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Animalia

Phylum
Chordata

Class
Teleostei

Order
Eupercaria incertae sedis

Family
Malacanthidae

Genus
Caulolatilus

Species
affinis

Taxon category: Accepted

Syn.: Caulolatilus cabezon Evermann & Radcliffe, 1917 (Horton et al., 2021).

Origin: Native

Status

Least concern

Distribution

Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.

Distribution: From the Gulf of California to Peru and Galapagos.

References

  • Grove, J.S. Lavenberg, R.J. (1997) The Fishes of the Galapagos Islands. Stanford University Press, Stanford California. 862 pp.
  • Appeltans, W. Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G.A., Fauchald, K., Gordon, D.P., Hoeksema, B.W., Poore, G.C.B., van Soest, R.W.M., Stöhr, S., Walter, T.C., Costello, M.J. (eds.) (2010) World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org.
  • McCosker, J.E. Rosenblatt, R.H. (2010) The fishes of the Galápagos Archipelago: an update. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sc., Ser. 4, vol. 61, Suppl. II, no. 11: 167-195.
  • Horton, T. Horton, T., Kroh, A., Ahyong, S., Bailly, N., Boyko, C. B., Brandão, S. N., Gofas, S., Hooper, J. N. A., Hernandez, F., Holovachov, O., Mees, J., Molodtsova, T. N., Paulay, G., Decock, W., Dekeyzer, S., Poffyn, G., Vandepitte, L., Vanhoorne, B., Adlard, R., ... Zhao, Z. (2021) World Register of Marine Species. Available from https://www.marinespecies.org at VLIZ.
  • IUCN (2023) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022-2 Https://www.iucnredlist.org

You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.

This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Caulolatilus affinis", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=13491. Accessed 29 April 2025.