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Species: Symphurus hernandezi, Species A Tonguefish

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

D&A purple-blue
blind side: purple + dense dark dots
D 95-102; A 80-86; C 12
opercle & gut cavity black
no pupil cover
~77-86 lateral scales

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.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Soft bottom only
  • Mud
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Mobile benthic worms
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Caribbean endemic
  • Continent
  • Continent only
  • GC endemic
  • All species
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