Tonguefish

Tonguefishes
Northern tonguefish, Symphurus pusillus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Pleuronectiformes
Suborder:	Soleoidei
Family:	Cynoglossidae
Genera
Cynoglossus Paraplagusia Symphurus See text for species.

Tonguefishes are a family, Cynoglossidae, of flatfishes.^[1] 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.^[2]

They are found in tropical and subtropical oceans, mainly in shallow waters and estuaries, 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.^[3]

Species

There are 138 species in 3 genera:^[1][4]

• Genus Cynoglossus
  • Three-lined tongue sole, Cynoglossus abbreviatus (Gray, 1834).
  • Natal tongue-fish, Cynoglossus acaudatus Gilchrist, 1906.
  • Sharpnose tonguesole, Cynoglossus acutirostris Norman, 1939.
  • Largescale tonguesole, Cynoglossus arel (Bloch & Schneider, 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, 1882.
  • Sand tonguefish, Cynoglossus capensis (Kaup, 1858).
  • Hooked tonguesole, Cynoglossus carpenteri Alcock, 1889.
  • Bengal tongue sole, Cynoglossus cynoglossus (Hamilton, 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, 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, 1851).
  • Lachner's tonguesole, Cynoglossus lachneri Menon, 1977.
  • Roughscale tonguesole, Cynoglossus lida (Bleeker, 1851).
  • Cynoglossus lighti Norman, 1925.
  • Cynoglossus lineolatus Steindachner, 1867.
  • Long tongue sole, Cynoglossus lingua Hamilton, 1822.
  • Cynoglossus maccullochi Norman, 1926.
  • Cynoglossus macrolepidotus (Bleeker, 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, 1846).
  • Smallscale tonguesole, Cynoglossus microlepis (Bleeker, 1851).
  • Guinean tonguesole, Cynoglossus monodi Chabanaud, 1949.
  • Cynoglossus monopus (Bleeker, 1849).
  • Cynoglossus nigropinnatus Ochiai, 1963.
  • Cynoglossus ogilbyi Norman, 1926.
  • Cynoglossus oligolepis (Bleeker, 1854).
  • Cynoglossus pottii Steindachner, 1902.
  • Speckled tonguesole, Cynoglossus puncticeps (Richardson, 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, 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, 1849).
  • Cynoglossus waandersii (Bleeker, 1854).
  • Zanzibar tonguesole, Cynoglossus zanzibarensis Norman, 1939.
• Genus Paraplagusia
  • Doublelined tonguesole, Paraplagusia bilineata (Lacépède, 1802).
  • Bloch's tonguesole, Paraplagusia blochii (Bleeker, 1851).
  • Paraplagusia guttata (Macleay, 1878).
  • Black cow-tongue, Paraplagusia japonica (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846).
  • Long-snouted tongue sole, Paraplagusia longirostris Chapleau, Renaud & Kailola, 1991.
  • Dusky tongue sole, Paraplagusia sinerama Chapleau & Renaud, 1993.
• Genus Symphurus
  • Caribbean tonguefish, Symphurus arawak Robins & Randall, 1965.
  • Inkspot tonguefish, Symphurus atramentatus Jordan & Bollman, 1890.
  • California tonguefish, Symphurus atricaudus (Jordan & 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 & Bean, 1885).
    

    Spottedfin tonguefish, Symphurus diomedeanus
  • Elongate tonguefish, Symphurus elongatus (nil).
  • Banded tongue-fish, Symphurus fasciolaris Gilbert, 1892.
  • Symphurus fuscus Brauer, 1906.
  • Symphurus gilesii (Alcock, 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 & 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 & Bean, 1886).
    

    Margined tonguefish, Symphurus marginatus
  • Symphurus marmoratus (Bleeker, 1851).
  • Drab tonguefish, Symphurus melanurus Clark, 1936.
  • Blackstripe tonguefish, Symphurus melasmatotheca Munroe & Nizinski, 1990.
  • Smallfin tonguefish, Symphurus microlepis (Bleeker, 1851).
  • Symphurus microrhynchus (Weber, 1913).
  • Largescale tonguefish, Symphurus minor Ginsburg, 1951.
  • Symphurus monostigmus Munroe, 2006.^[5]
  • Freckled tonguefish, Symphurus nebulosus (Goode & Bean, 1883).
    

    Freckled tonguefish, Symphurus nebulosus
  • Tonguesole, Symphurus nigrescens Rafinesque, 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, 1879).
  • Pygmy tonguefish, Symphurus parvus Ginsburg, 1951.
  • Longtail tonguefish, Symphurus pelicanus Ginsburg, 1951.
  • Deepwater tonguefish, Symphurus piger (nil).
    

    Deepwater tonguefish, Symphurus piger
  • Blackcheek tonguefish, Symphurus plagiusa (Linnaeus, 1766).
  • Duskycheek tonguefish, Symphurus plagusia (Bloch & Schneider, 1801).
  • Halfstriped tonguefish, Symphurus prolatinaris Munroe, Nizinski & Mahadeva, 1991.
  • Northern tonguefish, Symphurus pusillus (Goode & Bean, 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, 1891).
  • Blotchfin tonguefish, Symphurus stigmosus Munroe, 1998.
  • Blackbelly tonguesole, Symphurus strictus Gilbert, 1905.
  • Symphurus tessellatus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824).
  • Symphurus thermophilus^[6]
  • Trewavas' tonguefish, Symphurus trewavasae Chabanaud, 1948.
  • Threeband tonguesole, Symphurus trifasciatus (Alcock, 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, 1899.
  • William's tonguefish, Symphurus williamsi Jordan & Culver, 1895.
  • Symphurus woodmasoni (Alcock, 1889).

See also

• List of fish families

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Cynoglossidae" in FishBase. February 2006 version.
2. ^ Chapleau, Francois & Amaoka, Kunio (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 225. ISBN 0-12-547665-5. 
3. ^ "Fish dance on sulphur cauldrons". BBC News. 14 December 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6212716.stm. Retrieved 25 May 2010. 
4. ^ "Cynoglossidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=173060. Retrieved 2 April 2006. 
5. ^ Munroe (2006). "New western Indian Ocean tonguefish (Pleuronectiformes: Cynoglossidae, Symphurus)". Copeia 2006 (2): 231ff. doi:10.1643/0045-8511(2006)6[230:NWIOTP]2.0.CO;2. 
6. ^ Munroe, Thomas A.; Hashimoto, Jun (2008). "A new Western Pacific Tonguefish (Pleuronectiformes: Cynoglossidae): The first Pleuronectiform discovered at active Hydrothermal Vents" (PDF). Zootaxa 1839: 43–59. http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2008/f/zt01839p059.pdf. Retrieved 2009-06-25.