Species: Symphurus pusillus, Northern tonguefish

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.