Species: Symphurus pusillus, Northern Tonguefish
+/- dark line along center mid-body

no pupil cover
Symphurus pusillus (Goode & Bean, 1885)
Northern Tonguefish
Body highly compressed, elongate, oval, tapers to pointed tail; body moderately deep; head ~twice as wide as long; snout a little pointed; eyes small, close together on left side, about equal in position; no cover over pupil; mouth reaches to just behind front of pupil, lower jaw without fleshy crest on eye-side; 1 row of teeth along entire lower jaw of eye-side; teeth on front ¾ of eye-side top jaw; preopercle edge covered with skin; dorsal origin ~ above upper eye, 83-88 rays; anal fin 71-75 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; 77-87 lateral scales; no scales on dorsal and anal fin rays on blind side; no lateral line.
Top side yellow-brown body with 2-6 light brown bars, usually only 3-4 obvious; some fish with a dark line along the center of middle of the body; inner lining of operculum un-pigmented; lining of gut cavity black; no dark patch on tail fin; blind side plain white to yellowish.
Size: 8.9 cm.
Habitat: mud bottoms.
Depth: 100-233 m.
New York to the N Gulf of Mexico.

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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- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Mud
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bathydemersal
- 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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- Continent
- Continent only
- Extends North of GC
- GC non-endemic
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Temperate (>35N)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 8.9
- Depth Range Min
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- 100
- Depth Range Max
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- 233