Species: Symphurus hernandezi, Species A tonguefish
blind side: purple + dense dark dots
no pupil cover
Symphurus hernandezi Saavedra-Diaz, Munroe & Acero, 2004
Species A tonguefish
Body highly compressed, elongate, oval, tapers to pointed tail; eyes small, touching or nearly so, on left side, no cover over pupil; lower jaw without fleshy crest on eye-side; teeth along entire length of both eye-side jaws; preopercle edge covered with skin; dorsal origin ~ above upper eye, 95-102 rays; anal fin 80-86 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; ~77-86 lateral scales; no scales on blind side dorsal and anal rays; no lateral line.
Eye-side head and body brown; a small, diffuse dark blotch on tail; blind side lips white; operculum and gut area dark blue-black; dorsal and anal fins bluish purple, with darker bases; tail fin light brown at base, a dark brown central bar, outer part bluish-purple; blind side head and front 2/3 of body metallic blue, densely peppered with dark dots, rear 1/3 of body brown, with fewer dark dots; lining of gut cavity black.
Size: 12.7 cm.
Habitat: presumably sand and mud bottoms.
Depth: 148-500 m.
Central Colombia.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Soft bottom only
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Sand & gravel
- Mud
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
-
- Data
- Mobile benthic worms
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Egg Type
-
- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continent only
- All species..
- Caribbean endemic
- GC endemic
- Continent
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Not evaluated / Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 12.7
- Depth Range Min
-
- 148
- Depth Range Max
-
- 500
