Home · Cynoglossidae · Long tonguesole
Long tonguesole (Cynoglossus lingua) — Cynoglossidae

Long tonguesole

Cynoglossus lingua
Family: Cynoglossidae
LC · Least Concern

The Long tonguesole (Cynoglossus lingua) is a fish that lives in both fresh and salt water of the family Cynoglossidae that grows up to 45 cm.

Length
45 cm
Water
Euryhaline
Depth
10.0–961.0 m
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Solitary
Activity
Nocturnal
Body shape
Flat / disc-shaped
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Commonly eaten

Description

The long tonguesole is a tonguefish from the Indo-West Pacific, in coastal and brackish water of South Asia. The species grows to about 45 cm and has an elongate, tongue-shaped, strongly asymmetric flatfish body with both eyes on one side and a continuous fin fringe. As a bottom-dweller it lies buried on sandy and muddy bottoms of river mouths and coastal water and feeds on small bottom animals. It is a valued food fish and is assessed as Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Long tonguesole?

The Long tonguesole has a flattened, disc-shaped body, is mainly brown and shows a plain pattern.

Where does the Long tonguesole live?

The Long tonguesole lives in both fresh and salt water and is mostly found around sand or mud bottom.

How big does the Long tonguesole get?

The Long tonguesole grows to a maximum of about 45 cm. On average the species is around 25 cm.

Is the Long tonguesole dangerous to humans?

No, the Long tonguesole is harmless to humans.

Is the Long tonguesole edible?

Yes, the Long tonguesole is commonly eaten.

Download Fin's Fish Guide

Identify fish in seconds, log your catches and dives. Join the TestFlight beta.

Get the beta →

All data

Identification

Dutch name
Tong-tongschar verified
English name
Long tonguesole verified
Scientific name
Cynoglossus lingua
Family
Cynoglossidae
Other names
Long tongue sole verified

Appearance

Size class
Large verified
Max length (cm)
45.0 verified
Average length (cm)
25.0 verified
Body shape
Flat / disc-shaped sourced
Dominant colour
Brown inferred
Pattern
Plain sourced
Tail shape
Rounded inferred
Mouth position
Inferior (downward) sourced
Lips
Thin sourced
Barbels
No sourced
Dorsal fins
One continuous sourced
Dorsal spines
No sourced

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Euryhaline sourced
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom sourced
Min depth (m)
10.0 verified
Max depth (m)
961.0 verified
Origin
Native verified

Behaviour & biology

Diet
Carnivore sourced
Social behaviour
Solitary sourced
Territorial
No sourced
Activity
Nocturnal sourced
Reproduction
Separate sexes sourced
Sexual dimorphism
No sourced

For anglers

Edibility
Commonly eaten sourced
Fishing method
Bodemvissen met natuurlijk aas (worm, garnaal of vis) op of vlak boven de bodem. inferred
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Harmless sourced

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

Same genus Cynoglossus

More from the family Cynoglossidae

Download Fin's Fish Guide

Identify fish in seconds, log your catches and dives. Join the TestFlight beta.

Get the beta →