Species: Symphurus rhytisma, Patchtail Tonguefish

no pupil cover
Symphurus rhytisma Bohlke, 1961
Patchtail Tonguefish
Body highly compressed, elongate, oval, tapers to pointed tail; body moderately deep; head long and narrow; snout moderately long and pointed; eyes small, close together on left side, no cover over pupil; mouth reaches to just behind front of pupil, lower jaw without fleshy crest on eye-side; well developed teeth on all jaws; preopercle edge covered with skin; dorsal origin ~ above upper eye, 83-87 rays; anal fin 68-71 rays; 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 12 rays; 91-97 lateral scales; no scales on dorsal and anal fin rays on blind side; no lateral line.
Body whitish to palid, usually 8 (2-8) faint, narrow cross-bars on head and body; a diffuse dark blotch covering basal 1/3 of tail fin and rear of dorsal and anal fins, outer 2/3 of tail fin unpigmented; inside operculum and lining of gut cavity unpigmented; blind side pale, without dark dots.
Size: 5 cm.
Habitat: sand bottoms near coral reefs.
Depth: 3-25 m.
The Bahamas to Brazil.

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 non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Also in Brazil
- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- Extends South of GC
- GC non-endemic
- 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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- 5
- Depth Range Min
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- 3
- Depth Range Max
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- 25