Editing Tilefish (section)

==Description==

The two subfamilies appear to be morphologically different, with members of the Latilinae having deeper bodies bearing predorsal ridge and heads rounded to squarish in profile. In contrast, members of the Malacanthinae are more slender with elongated bodies lacking predorsal ridge and rounded head. They also differ ecologically, with latilines typically occurring below 50&nbsp;m and malacanthines shallower than 50&nbsp;m depth.<ref name=Nelson-2006/>

Tilefish range in size from {{cvt|11|cm}} ([[yellow tilefish]], ''Hoplolatilus luteus'') to {{cvt|125|cm}} ([[great northern tilefish]], ''Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps'') and a weight of {{cvt|30|kg}}.<ref name = MF>{{cite web |title=Malacanthida |series=Tilefish family photographs, and information |website=Mexican Fish |date=9 March 2016 |url=https://mexican-fish.com/tilefish-family/ |access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref>

Both subfamilies have long [[dorsal fin|dorsal]] and [[anal fin]]s, the latter having one or two spines. The gill covers ([[Operculum (fish)|opercula]]) have one spine which may be sharp or blunt; some species also have a [[cutaneous]] ridge atop the head. The tail fin may range in shape from truncated to forked. Most species are fairly low-key in colour, commonly shades of yellow, brown, and gray.<ref name = MF/> Notable exceptions include three small, vibrant ''[[Hoplolatilus]]'' species: the [[purple sand tilefish]] (''H. purpureus''), [[Starck's tilefish]] (''H. starcki''), and the [[redback sand tilefish]] (''H. marcosi'').<ref name = Schultz/>

Tilefish [[larva]]e are notable for their elaborate spines.<ref name=FishBase-2015-10/> The family name Malacanthidae, is based on the type genus ''Malacanthus'' which is a compound of the [[Greek language|Greek]] words ''malakos'' meaning "soft" and ''akanthos'' meaning "thorn", possibly derived from the slender, flexible spines in the dorsal fin of ''[[Malacanthus plumieri]]''.<ref name=Scharpf-Lazara-2020>{{cite web |author1=Scharpf, Christopher |author2=Lazara, Kenneth J. |name-list-style=amp |date=18 September 2020 |title=Series Eupercarria (incertae sedis): Families Callanthiidae, Centerogenyidae, Dinolestidae, Dinopercidae, Emmelichthyidae, Malacanthidae, Monodactylidae, Moronidae, Parascorpididae, Sciaenidae, and Sillaginidae |website=Fish Name Etymology Database |publisher=Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara [[doing business as|d.b.a.]] The ETYFish Project |url=https://etyfish.org/eupercaria/ |access-date=7 March 2021 |archive-date=17 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217162719/https://etyfish.org/eupercaria/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>