Home · Cynoglossidae · Blotched tongue-sole
Blotched tongue-sole (Cynoglossus puncticeps) — Cynoglossidae

Blotched tongue-sole

Cynoglossus puncticeps
Family: Cynoglossidae
LC · Least Concern

The Blotched tongue-sole (Cynoglossus puncticeps) is a fish that lives in both fresh and salt water of the family Cynoglossidae that grows up to 35 cm.

Length
35 cm
Water
Euryhaline
Depth
1.0–140.0 m
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Solitary
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like)
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Commonly eaten

Description

The speckled tonguesole is a flatfish of the tonguefish family (Cynoglossidae) from the Indo-West Pacific. The species grows to about 35 cm and has an elongate, tongue-shaped, tapering body with both eyes on the left side and dorsal, tail and anal fins running into one another; the body bears a fine speckled pattern. It lives on sand and mud bottoms of the continental shelf and enters the lower reaches of estuaries. As a bottom hunter it feeds on small crustaceans, worms and molluscs. The species is a local food fish and is harmless to humans.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Blotched tongue-sole?

The Blotched tongue-sole has an elongate, eel-like body, is mainly brown and shows a spots pattern.

Where does the Blotched tongue-sole live?

The Blotched tongue-sole lives in both fresh and salt water and is mostly found around sand or mud bottom.

How big does the Blotched tongue-sole get?

The Blotched tongue-sole grows to a maximum of about 35 cm. On average the species is around 9 cm.

Is the Blotched tongue-sole dangerous to humans?

No, the Blotched tongue-sole is harmless to humans.

Is the Blotched tongue-sole edible?

Yes, the Blotched tongue-sole is commonly eaten.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Gespikkelde tongschar sourced
English name
Blotched tongue-sole verified
Scientific name
Cynoglossus puncticeps
Family
Cynoglossidae
Other names
Mottled tonguesole; Speckled tongue sole; Speckled tonguesole verified

Appearance

Size class
Medium verified
Max length (cm)
35.0 verified
Average length (cm)
9.0 verified
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like) sourced
Dominant colour
Brown inferred
Pattern
Spots inferred
Mouth position
Inferior (downward) inferred
Lips
Thin inferred
Barbels
No sourced
Dorsal fins
One continuous inferred
Dorsal spines
No sourced

Habitat & distribution

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

Behaviour & biology

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

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

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