Sand Tilefish

Sand Tilefish (Malacanthus latovittatus)

The sand tilefish, also known as the banded blanquillo, striped blanquillo, false whiting, or eye of the sea, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the tilefish family, Malacanthid Ae. It inhabits the Indo-Pacific region.

The blue blanquillo features an elongated body with a pointed snout, and its mouth extends to the forward nostril. It has a smooth margin on the preoperculum, and the gill cover is equipped with a sharp spine similar in size to the pupil. The head and front of the body are blue, which gradually fades toward the rear. Adults display a broad black lateral stripe that begins at the base of the pectoral fin, while juveniles have this stripe starting from the snout. Adult blue blanquillos also exhibit a fine lattice pattern on their upper back and a white area on the middle of the rear margin of the caudal fin. The dorsal fin has a pale line along its upper edge, with the anal and pelvic fins being white and the pectoral fins bluish. Juveniles bear a resemblance to the young of the ringed slender wrasse (Hologymnosus annulatus). This species has 3-4 spines and 43-47 soft rays in its dorsal fin, along with 1 spine and 37-40 soft rays in the anal fin. It can reach a maximum length of 45 cm (18 in), though a standard length of about 35 cm (14 in) is more common.