Species: Symphurus ommaspilus, Ocellated Tonguefish
gut cavity pale
bases of D & A - holes

Symphurus ommaspilus Bohlke, 1961
Ocellated Tonguefish
Body highly compressed, elongate, oval, tapers to pointed tail; body relatively deep, tapering gradually; head relatively wide and long, shorter than wide; snout long and pointed; eyes small, close together on left side, lower eye relatively large; well developed cover for pupils; mouth small, arched (strongly on blind side), at front or a little under snout; eye side lower jaw without fleshy crest; preopercle edge covered with skin; dorsal fin origin ~ above upper eye, 75-79 rays; anal fin 60-64 rays; membrane at base of most of dorsal fin rays and all of anal fin rays with a hole; pectoral fins absent, represented by a fine membrane; only left pelvic fin present, 4 rays, on body midline, joined to anal fin by delicate membrane; dorsal and anal fins confluent with the pointed caudal fin; tail 10 rays; scales rough, on both sides; rays of dorsal and anal without scales on blind-side; 58-64 lateral scales; no lateral line.
Top whitish with many scattered dark dots; blind side whitish to yellowish, without dark dots; dorsal and anal fins with a single large ocellus before tail base, often with one or more faint dark blotches before each ocellus; lining of gut cavity pale.
Size: 6.2 cm.
Habitat: sand bottoms in clear water near coral reefs of islands.
Depth: 1-51 m.
The Bahamas to the S Caribbean.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic worms
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- GC endemic
- Insular primarily
- Island (s)
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 6.2
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 51