Species: Symphurus parvus, Pygmy Tonguefish

Symphurus parvus Ginsburg, 1951

Pygmy Tonguefish

Body highly compressed, elongate, oval, tapers to pointed tail, relatively deep; head relatively long and wide, its length usually < than width; small close-set eyes on left side; lower eye larger; a well developed cover for pupils; snout rounded; mouth small, curved, strongly so on blind side, extends to below front edge of lower eye; lower jaw without fleshy crest on eye-side; eye side lower jaw with a row of teeth all along its length, top jaw with a row along front 1/2-3/4; preopercle edge covered with skin; dorsal fin origin ~ above upper eye, 75-86 rays; anal fin 60-70 rays; bases of dorsal and anal fins with holes on membranes; 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 fin usually 12 rays; scales rough, on both sides of body; 59-78 lateral scales; eyes with 4-8 rough scales at front; no lateral line.

Top side pale brown to yellowish, a conspicuous dark brown diamond-shaped to oblong blotch just before tail fin base; blind side whitish to yellowish, without dark dots; dorsal and anal without dark spots or blotches; lining of gut cavity pale; tail fin usually darker than dorsal and anal fins, sometimes with a dark spot.at its eye-side base, its blind-side membranes and rays with dark dots.

Size: 9.7 cm.

Habitat: mud bottoms.

Depth: 20-146 m.

North Carolina to Trinidad.