Diet, Sex, Morphometrics, and Meristics of Blueline and Golden Tilefishes off of the Maryland Coast

Abstract

The blueline tilefish (Caulolatilus microps), and the golden tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) are two economically and ecologically important species of benthic fishes (Actinopterygii; Latildae) off the Atlantic coast of Maryland. There is little information published on their primary food sources, their morphometric and meristic characters, or reproductive habits. Meristic data are counts of body features such as the number of fin spines and gili rakers on an individual fish. Morphometric data includes measurements such as fish lengths and eye diameter. These characters are important for describing characters that are variable within a population and can be characteristic of separate breeding stocks of fishes. The goals of my study are to find out a) what the Maryland coastal tilefish populations feed on; b) describe the variations among 23 morphometric measurements and 10 meristic counts among blueline and golden tilefishes; and c) collect gonads and otoliths for future research projects on tilefish sex, age and growth. These data should add to our knowledge of the life histories of Maryland tilefishes, which can be used to improve management practices to protect these species. Thirty blueline tilefish and 8 golden tilefish were obtained from local fisheries in Ocean City, Maryland from May to August 2021.The gonadosomatic index was calculated for 6 golden and 26 blueline tilefish with mean, standard deviation, and range reported for each species. The range, mean, and standard deviation was recorded for morphometric and meristic data points for 8 golden and 30 blueline tilefish. Additionally, prey remains were identified in the guts of 5 of 7 golden and 5 of 18 blue line tilefish. This data adds to previous research on these species as well as provides opportunities for future research.