Species: Symphurus oculellus, Caribbean Smalleye Tonguefish
D, A, C alternating dark & light blotches
body 10-14 narrow bars
84-97 lateral scales

operculum: dark blotch inside & outside
gut lining pale
Symphurus oculellus Munroe, 1991
Caribbean Smalleye Tonguefish
Body highly compressed, elongate, oval, tapers to pointed tail, relatively elongate; head wide, its length < width; snout long and rounded; small close-set eyes on left side; lower eye small, about same position as upper eye; no cover for pupils; snout rounded; mouth small, curved, strongly so on blind side, reaches under or past rear edge of lower eye; eye side lower jaw with fleshy crest; preopercle edge covered with skin; dorsal fin 97-106 rays, its origin behind or over rear edge of top eye; anal fin 81-89 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 usually 12 rays; scales rough, on both sides of body; 84-97 lateral scales; eyes without scales on front half; rear rays of dorsal and anal without rough scales on blind-side; no lateral line.
Top side brown, 10-14 narrow dark crossbars on head and body; outer side of operculum on eye side with a dark blotch; inside gill cover very dark on eye side; lining of gut cavity not pigmented; dorsal and anal fins with alternating dark and light blotches at rear; tail fin with outer 2/3 dark, inner 1/3 lighter.
Size: 20 cm.
Habitat: mud bottoms
Depth: 7-110 m.
The SW Gulf of Mexico; Guyana to north east Brazil.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Brackish
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Mud
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- 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 only
- Extends South of GC
- GC non-endemic
- All species
- Residency
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- Vagrant
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 20
- Depth Range Min
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- 7
- Depth Range Max
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- 110