Tonguefishes are a family,
Cynoglossidae, of
flatfishThe flatfish are an order of ray-finned fish, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes. The name means "side-swimmers" in Greek. In many species both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through and around the head during development...
es. They are distinguished by the presence of a long hook on the snout overhanging the mouth, and the absence of pectoral fins. Their eyes are both on the left side of their body, which also lacks a pelvic fin.
They are found in tropical and subtropical oceans, mainly in shallow waters and
estuariesAn estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are thus subject to both marine influences, such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water; and riverine influences, such as flows of...
, though a few species found in deep sea floors, and a few in rivers.
Some species have been observed congregating around ponds of sulphur that pool up from beneath the seafloor.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Tonguefish' Start a new discussion about 'Tonguefish' Answer questions from other users |
Tonguefishes are a family,
Cynoglossidae, of
flatfishThe flatfish are an order of ray-finned fish, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes. The name means "side-swimmers" in Greek. In many species both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through and around the head during development...
es. They are distinguished by the presence of a long hook on the snout overhanging the mouth, and the absence of pectoral fins. Their eyes are both on the left side of their body, which also lacks a pelvic fin.
They are found in tropical and subtropical oceans, mainly in shallow waters and
estuariesAn estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are thus subject to both marine influences, such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water; and riverine influences, such as flows of...
, though a few species found in deep sea floors, and a few in rivers.
Some species have been observed congregating around ponds of sulphur that pool up from beneath the seafloor. Scientists are unsure of the mechanism that allows the fish to survive and even thrive in such a hostile environment.
Species
There are 138 species in 3 genera:
- Genus Cynoglossus
- Three-lined tongue sole, Cynoglossus abbreviatus (Gray
John Edward Gray was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ....
, 1834).
- Natal tongue-fish, Cynoglossus acaudatus Gilchrist, 1906.
- Sharpnose tonguesole, Cynoglossus acutirostris Norman, 1939.
- Largescale tonguesole, Cynoglossus arel (Bloch
Marcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
& SchneiderJohann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider was a German classicist and naturalist.Schneider was born at Koilmen in Saxony...
, 1801).
- Fourline tonguesole, Cynoglossus attenuatus (Gilchrist & Thompson, 1917).
- Fourlined tonguesole, Cynoglossus bilineatus (Lacépède, 1802).
- Southern tongue sole, Cynoglossus broadhursti Waite, 1905.
- Nigerian tonguesole, Cynoglossus browni Chabanaud, 1949.
- Ghanaian tonguesole, Cynoglossus cadenati Chabanaud, 1947.
- Canary tonguesole, Cynoglossus canariensis Steindachner
Franz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist.Being interested in natural history, Steindachner took up the study of fossil fishes on the recommendation of his friend Eduard Suess...
, 1882.
- Sand tonguefish, Cynoglossus capensis (Kaup
Johann Jakob Kaup was a German naturalist.He was born at Darmstadt. After studying at Göttingen and Heidelberg he spent two years at Leiden, where his attention was specially devoted to the amphibians and fishes. He then returned to Darmstadt as an assistant in the grand ducal museum, of which in...
, 1858).
- Hooked tonguesole, Cynoglossus carpenteri Alcock
Alfred William Alcock was a British physician naturalist and carcinologist.Alcock was the son of a sea-captain, John Alcock in Bombay, India who retired to live in Blackheath...
, 1889.
- Bengal tongue sole, Cynoglossus cynoglossus (Hamilton
Dr Francis Buchanan, later known as Francis Hamilton but often referred to as Francis Buchanan-Hamilton was a Scottish physician who made significant contributions as a geographer, zoologist, and botanist while living in India.He was born Francis Buchanan at Bardowie, Callander, Perthshire; his...
, 1822).
- Roundhead toungesole, Cynoglossus dispar Day, 1877.
- Cynoglossus dollfusi (Chabanaud, 1931).
- Carrot tonguesole, Cynoglossus dubius Day, 1873.
- Durban tonguesole, Cynoglossus durbanensis Regan, 1921.
- River tonguesole, Cynoglossus feldmanni (Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia....
, 1853).
- Ripplefin tonguesole, Cynoglossus gilchristi Regan, 1920.
- Cynoglossus gracilis Günther, 1873.
- Freshwater tongue sole, Cynoglossus heterolepis Weber, 1910.
- Genko sole, Cynoglossus interruptus Günther, 1880.
- Cynoglossus itinus (Snyder, 1909).
- Red tonguesole, Cynoglossus joyneri Günther, 1878.
- Cynoglossus kapuasensis Fowler, 1905.
- Shortheaded tonguesole, Cynoglossus kopsii (Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia....
, 1851).
- Lachner's tonguesole, Cynoglossus lachneri Menon, 1977.
- Roughscale tonguesole, Cynoglossus lida (Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia....
, 1851).
- Cynoglossus lighti Norman, 1925.
- Cynoglossus lineolatus Steindachner
Franz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist.Being interested in natural history, Steindachner took up the study of fossil fishes on the recommendation of his friend Eduard Suess...
, 1867.
- Long tongue sole, Cynoglossus lingua Hamilton, 1822.
- Cynoglossus maccullochi Norman, 1926.
- Cynoglossus macrolepidotus (Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia....
, 1851).
- Big-eyed tongue-sole, Cynoglossus macrophthalmus Norman, 1926.
- Malabar tonguesole, Cynoglossus macrostomus Norman, 1928.
- Cynoglossus maculipinnis Rendahl, 1921.
- Threeline tonguesole, Cynoglossus marleyi Regan, 1921.
- Cynoglossus melampetalus (Richardson
Sir John Richardson was a Scottish naval surgeon, naturalist and arctic explorer.Richardson was born at Dumfries. He studied medicine at Edinburgh University , and became a surgeon in the navy in 1807. He traveled with John Franklin in search of the Northwest Passage on the Coppermine Expedition...
, 1846).
- Smallscale tonguesole, Cynoglossus microlepis (Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia....
, 1851).
- Guinean tonguesole, Cynoglossus monodi Chabanaud, 1949.
- Cynoglossus monopus (Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia....
, 1849).
- Cynoglossus nigropinnatus Ochiai, 1963.
- Cynoglossus ogilbyi Norman, 1926.
- Cynoglossus oligolepis (Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia....
, 1854).
- Cynoglossus pottii Steindachner
Franz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist.Being interested in natural history, Steindachner took up the study of fossil fishes on the recommendation of his friend Eduard Suess...
, 1902.
- Speckled tonguesole, Cynoglossus puncticeps (Richardson
Sir John Richardson was a Scottish naval surgeon, naturalist and arctic explorer.Richardson was born at Dumfries. He studied medicine at Edinburgh University , and became a surgeon in the navy in 1807. He traveled with John Franklin in search of the Northwest Passage on the Coppermine Expedition...
, 1846).
- Cynoglossus purpureomaculatus Regan, 1905.
- Cynoglossus robustus Günther, 1873.
- Cynoglossus roulei Wu, 1932.
- Cynoglossus sealarki Regan, 1908.
- Bengal tongue-sole, Cynoglossus semifasciatus Day, 1877.
- Tongue sole, Cynoglossus semilaevis Günther, 1873.
- Senegalese tonguesole, Cynoglossus senegalensis (Kaup
Johann Jakob Kaup was a German naturalist.He was born at Darmstadt. After studying at Göttingen and Heidelberg he spent two years at Leiden, where his attention was specially devoted to the amphibians and fishes. He then returned to Darmstadt as an assistant in the grand ducal museum, of which in...
, 1858).
- Cynoglossus sibogae Weber, 1913.
- Cynoglossus sinicus Wu, 1932.
- Cynoglossus sinusarabici (Chabanaud, 1931).
- Cynoglossus suyeni Fowler, 1934.
- Cynoglossus trigrammus Günther, 1862.
- Macau sole, Cynoglossus trulla (Cantor
Theodore Edward Cantor was a Danish physician, zoologist and botanist.Cantor worked for the British East India Company. He made natural history collections in Penang and Malacca.He was the author of...
, 1849).
- Cynoglossus waandersii (Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia....
, 1854).
- Zanzibar tonguesole, Cynoglossus zanzibarensis Norman, 1939.
- Genus Paraplagusia
- Doublelined tonguesole, Paraplagusia bilineata (Lacépède, 1802).
- Bloch's tonguesole, Paraplagusia blochii (Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia....
, 1851).
- Paraplagusia guttata (Macleay, 1878).
- Black cow-tongue, Paraplagusia japonica (Temminck
Coenraad Jacob Temminck was a Dutch aristocrat and zoologist.Temminck was the first director of the National Natural History Museum at Leiden from 1820 until his death. His Manuel d'ornithologie, ou Tableau systematique des oiseaux qui se trouvent en Europe was the standard work on European birds...
& SchlegelHermann Schlegel was a German ornithologist.-Early life and education:Schlegel was born at Altenburg, the son of a brassfounder. His father collected butterflies, which stimulated Schlegel's interest in natural history...
, 1846).
- Long-snouted tongue sole, Paraplagusia longirostris Chapleau, Renaud & Kailola, 1991.
- Dusky tongue sole, Paraplagusia sinerama Chapleau & Renaud, 1993.
- Genus Symphurus
Symphurus is the most speciose genus of tonguefish, family Cynoglossidae. They are distinguished by merged dorsal, caudal, and anal fins, the absence of a lateral line and pectoral fins, and the presence of only one pelvic fin. They are sinistral flatfishes, meaning that as adults their craniums...
- Caribbean tonguefish, Symphurus arawak Robins & Randall, 1965.
- Inkspot tonguefish, Symphurus atramentatus Jordan
David Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist , educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University....
& Bollman, 1890.
- California tonguefish, Symphurus atricaudus (Jordan
David Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist , educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University....
& Gilbert, 1880).
- Symphurus australis (Rendahl, 1922).
- Symphurus bathyspilus Krabbenhoft & Munroe, 2003.
- Kriete's tonguefish, Symphurus billykrietei Munroe, 1998.
- Chocolate tonguefish, Symphurus callopterus Munroe & Mahadeva, 1989.
- Symphurus caribbeanus Munroe, 1991.
- Chabanaud's tonguefish, Symphurus chabanaudi Mahadeva & Munroe, 1990.
- Offshore tonguefish, Symphurus civitatium Ginsburg, 1951.
- Devil's tonguefish, Symphurus diabolicus Mahadeva & Munroe, 1990.
- Spottedfin tonguefish, Symphurus diomedeanus (Goode
George Brown Goode , was an ichthyologist, although most of his time was spent as a museum administrator and he was very interested in the history of science, especially the history of the development of science in America. Goode graduated from Wesleyan University and studied at Harvard University...
& BeanTarleton Hoffman Bean was an American ichthyologist, born at Bainbridge, Pennsylvania. After teaching in a high school, in 1874 he became associated with the United States Fish Commission, working on the Connecticut coast...
, 1885).
- Elongate tonguefish, Symphurus elongatus (nil).
- Banded tongue-fish, Symphurus fasciolaris Gilbert, 1892.
- Symphurus fuscus Brauer, 1906.
- Symphurus gilesii (Alcock
Alfred William Alcock was a British physician naturalist and carcinologist.Alcock was the son of a sea-captain, John Alcock in Bombay, India who retired to live in Blackheath...
, 1889).
- Ginsburg's tonguefish, Symphurus ginsburgi Menezes & Benvegnú, 1976.
- Gorgonian tonguefish, Symphurus gorgonae Chabanaud, 1948.
- Symphurus hondoensis Hubbs, 1915.
- Symphurus insularis Munroe, Brito & Hernández, 2000.
- Jenyn's tonguefish, Symphurus jenynsi Evermann & Kendall, 1907.
- Symphurus kyaropterygium Menezes & Benvegnú, 1976.
- Lee's tonguefish, Symphurus leei Jordan
David Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist , educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University....
& Bollman, 1890.
- Elongate tonguesole, Symphurus ligulatus (Cocco, 1844).
- Symphurus lubbocki Munroe, 1990.
- Symphurus luzonensis Chabanaud, 1955.
- Symphurus macrophthalmus (Norman, 1926).
- Symphurus maldivensis Chabanaud, 1955.
- Margined tonguefish, Symphurus marginatus (Goode
George Brown Goode , was an ichthyologist, although most of his time was spent as a museum administrator and he was very interested in the history of science, especially the history of the development of science in America. Goode graduated from Wesleyan University and studied at Harvard University...
& BeanTarleton Hoffman Bean was an American ichthyologist, born at Bainbridge, Pennsylvania. After teaching in a high school, in 1874 he became associated with the United States Fish Commission, working on the Connecticut coast...
, 1886).
- Symphurus marmoratus (Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia....
, 1851).
- Drab tonguefish, Symphurus melanurus Clark, 1936.
- Blackstripe tonguefish, Symphurus melasmatotheca Munroe & Nizinski, 1990.
- Smallfin tonguefish, Symphurus microlepis (Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia....
, 1851).
- Symphurus microrhynchus (Weber, 1913).
- Largescale tonguefish, Symphurus minor Ginsburg, 1951.
- Symphurus monostigmus Munroe, 2006.
- Freckled tonguefish, Symphurus nebulosus (Goode
George Brown Goode , was an ichthyologist, although most of his time was spent as a museum administrator and he was very interested in the history of science, especially the history of the development of science in America. Goode graduated from Wesleyan University and studied at Harvard University...
& BeanTarleton Hoffman Bean was an American ichthyologist, born at Bainbridge, Pennsylvania. After teaching in a high school, in 1874 he became associated with the United States Fish Commission, working on the Connecticut coast...
, 1883).
- Tonguesole, Symphurus nigrescens Rafinesque
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz, as he is known in Europe, was a nineteenth-century polymath who made notable contributions to the study of prehistoric earthworks in North America, Mesoamerican ancient linguistics, and botany and zoology. His personal life was erratic.Many have called him...
, 1810.
- Norman's tonguesole, Symphurus normani Chabanaud, 1950.
- Symphurus novemfasciatus Shen & Lin, 1984.
- Double-spot tonguesole, Symphurus ocellatus (nil).
- Symphurus oculellus Munroe, 1991.
- Spotfin tonguefish, Symphurus oligomerus Mahadeva & Munroe, 1990.
- Ocellated tonguefish, Symphurus ommaspilus Böhlke, 1961.
- Symphurus orientalis (Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia....
, 1879).
- Pygmy tonguefish, Symphurus parvus Ginsburg, 1951.
- Longtail tonguefish, Symphurus pelicanus Ginsburg, 1951.
- Deepwater tonguefish, Symphurus piger (nil).
- Blackcheek tonguefish, Symphurus plagiusa (Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature...
, 1766).
- Duskycheek tonguefish, Symphurus plagusia (Bloch
Marcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
& SchneiderJohann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider was a German classicist and naturalist.Schneider was born at Koilmen in Saxony...
, 1801).
- Halfstriped tonguefish, Symphurus prolatinaris Munroe, Nizinski & Mahadeva, 1991.
- Northern tonguefish, Symphurus pusillus (Goode
George Brown Goode , was an ichthyologist, although most of his time was spent as a museum administrator and he was very interested in the history of science, especially the history of the development of science in America. Goode graduated from Wesleyan University and studied at Harvard University...
& BeanTarleton Hoffman Bean was an American ichthyologist, born at Bainbridge, Pennsylvania. After teaching in a high school, in 1874 he became associated with the United States Fish Commission, working on the Connecticut coast...
, 1885).
- Symphurus regani Weber & de Beaufort, 1929.
- Symphurus reticulatus Munroe, 1990.
- Patchtail tonguefish, Symphurus rhytisma Böhlke, 1961.
- Symphurus schultzi Chabanaud, 1955.
- Sevenband tonguesole, Symphurus septemstriatus (Alcock
Alfred William Alcock was a British physician naturalist and carcinologist.Alcock was the son of a sea-captain, John Alcock in Bombay, India who retired to live in Blackheath...
, 1891).
- Blotchfin tonguefish, Symphurus stigmosus Munroe, 1998.
- Blackbelly tonguesole, Symphurus strictus Gilbert, 1905.
- Symphurus tessellatus (Quoy
Jean René Constant Quoy was a French zoologist.Along with Joseph Paul Gaimard he served as naturalist aboard La Coquille under Louis Isidore Duperrey during its circumnavigation of the globe , and the Astrolabe under the command of Jules Dumont d'Urville...
& GaimardJoseph Paul Gaimard was a French naturalist.Along with Jean René Constant Quoy he served as naturalist aboard the ships La Coquille under Louis Isidore Duperrey, and L'Astrolabe under the command of Jules Dumont d'Urville between 1826 and 1829...
, 1824).
- Symphurus thermophilus
Symphurus thermophilus is a species of tonguefish, family Cynoglossidae, notable for being the only flatfish known to be an obligate inhabitant of hydrothermal vents. It is known from several widely dispersed locations in the western Pacific Ocean and occurs in great numbers...
- Trewavas' tonguefish, Symphurus trewavasae Chabanaud, 1948.
- Threeband tonguesole, Symphurus trifasciatus (Alcock
Alfred William Alcock was a British physician naturalist and carcinologist.Alcock was the son of a sea-captain, John Alcock in Bombay, India who retired to live in Blackheath...
, 1894).
- Symphurus undatus Gilbert, 1905.
- Dark cheek tongue, Symphurus undecimplerus Munroe & Nizinski, 1990.
- Spottail tonguefish, Symphurus urospilus Ginsburg, 1951.
- Symphurus vanmelleae Chabanaud, 1952.
- Symphurus variegatus (Gilchrist, 1903).
- Mottled tonguefish, Symphurus varius Garman
Samuel Walton Garman was a naturalist/ zoologist from Pennsylvania. He studied under Louis Agassiz. In 1868 he joined an expedition to the American West with John Wesley Powell. He was a friend and regular correspondent of the naturalist Edward Drinker Cope and in 1872 accompanied him on a fossil...
, 1899.
- William's tonguefish, Symphurus williamsi Jordan
David Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist , educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University....
& Culver, 1895.
- Symphurus woodmasoni (Alcock
Alfred William Alcock was a British physician naturalist and carcinologist.Alcock was the son of a sea-captain, John Alcock in Bombay, India who retired to live in Blackheath...
, 1889).