Species: Symphurus ommaspilus, Ocellated Tonguefish

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.