''Symphurus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Cynoglossidae found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. Most

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

mainly occur in relatively shallow water, including

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

. Some species are also found in

deeper water ''Deeper Water'', the tenth studio album by Paul Kelly, was released on 12 September 1995 on White Label Records in Australia and on Vanguard Records in North America. It peaked at No. 40 on the ARIA Albums Chart and provided his second c ...

, including '' S. thermophilus'' that lives at

hydrothermal vent Hydrothermal vents are fissures on the seabed from which geothermally heated water discharges. They are commonly found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are moving apart at mid-ocean ridges, ocean basins, and hot ...

s (the only

flatfish A flatfish is a member of the Ray-finned fish, ray-finned demersal fish Order (biology), suborder Pleuronectoidei, also called the Heterosomata. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through or around ...

known from this habitat).Tyler, J. (2005): Distribution, population characteristics and trophic ecology of a sulphophilic hydrothermal vent tonguefish (Pleuronectiformes: Cynoglossidae). ''Master of Science. Thesis. University of Victoria: Canada.''Munroe, T.A. & Hashimoto, J. (2008): A new Western Pacific Tonguefish (Pleuronectiformes: Cynoglossidae): The first Pleuronectiform discovered at active Hydrothermal Vents. ''Zootaxa, 1839: 43–59.'' These species are distinguished by merged dorsal fin, dorsal, caudal fin, caudal and anal fins, the absence of a lateral line and pectoral fins, and the presence of only one pelvic fin. They are sinistral flatfishes, meaning that as adults, their cranium, crania are asymmetrical, with both eyes on the left side. The largest species grows to about long.

Species

There are currently 78 recognized species in this genus: * ''Symphurus arawak'' Charles Richard Robins, C. R. Robins & John Ernest Randall, J. E. Randall, 1965 (Caribbean tonguefish) * ''Symphurus atramentatus'' David Starr Jordan, D. S. Jordan & Charles Harvey Bollman, Bollman, 1890 (Ink-spot tonguefish) * ''Symphurus atricauda'' (David Starr Jordan, D. S. Jordan & Charles Henry Gilbert, C. H. Gilbert, 1880) (California tonguefish) * ''Symphurus australis'' Allan Riverstone McCulloch, McCulloch, 1907 * ''Symphurus bathyspilus'' Trevor James Krabbenhoft, Krabbenhoft & Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe, 2003 * ''Symphurus billykrietei'' Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe, 1998 (Kriete's tonguefish) * ''Symphurus callopterus'' Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe & Madhu Narayanan Mahadeva, Mahadeva, 1989 (Chocolate tonguefish) * ''Symphurus caribbeanus'' Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe, 1991 * ''Symphurus chabanaudi'' Madhu Narayanan Mahadeva, Mahadeva & Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe, 1990 (Chabanaud's tonguefish) * ''Symphurus civitatium'' Isaac Ginsburg, Ginsburg, 1951 (Offshore tonguefish) * ''Symphurus diabolicus'' Madhu Narayanan Mahadeva, Mahadeva & Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe, 1990 (Devil's tonguefish) * ''Symphurus diomedeanus'' (George Brown Goode, Goode & Tarleton Hoffman Bean, T. H. Bean, 1885) (Spotted-fin tonguefish) * ''Symphurus elongatus'' (Albert Günther, Günther, 1868) (Elongated tonguefish) * ''Symphurus fasciolaris'' Charles Henry Gilbert, C. H. Gilbert, 1892 (Banded tonguefish) * ''Symphurus fuscus'' August Bernhard Brauer, A. B. Brauer, 1906 * ''Symphurus gilesii'' (Alfred William Alcock, Alcock, 1889) * ''Symphurus ginsburgi'' Naércio Aquino de Menezes, Menezes & Gilda de Quadros Benvegnú Lé, Benvegnú, 1976 (Ginsburg's tonguefish) * ''Symphurus gorgonae'' Paul Chabanaud, Chabanaud, 1948 (Gorgonian tonguefish) * ''Symphurus holothuriae'' Paul Chabanaud, Chabanaud, 1948 * ''Symphurus hondoensis'' Carl Leavitt Hubbs, C. L. Hubbs, 1915 * ''Symphurus insularis'' Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe, Alberto Brito, Brito & Carlos Hernández (zoologist), C. Hernández, 2000 * ''Symphurus jenynsi'' Barton Warren Evermann, Evermann & William Converse Kendall, Kendall, 1906 (Jenyn's tonguefish) * ''Symphurus kyaropterygium'' Naércio Aquino de Menezes, Menezes & Gilda de Quadros Benvegnú Lé, Benvegnú, 1976 * ''Symphurus leei'' David Starr Jordan, D. S. Jordan & Charles Harvey Bollman, Bollman, 1890 (Lee's tonguefish) * ''Symphurus leucochilus'' Lee Mao-Ying, M. Y. Lee, Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe & Shao Kwang-Tsao, K. T. Shao, 2014 Lee, M.-Y., Munroe, T.A. & Shao, K.-T. (2014): Description of a new cryptic, shallow-water tonguefish (Pleuronectiformes: Cynoglossidae: ''Symphurus'') from the western North Pacific Ocean. ''Journal of Fish Biology, 85 (3): 563–585.'' * ''Symphurus ligulatus'' (Anastasio Cocco, Cocco, 1844) * ''Symphurus longirostris'' Lee Mao-Ying, M. Y. Lee, Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe & Yoshiaki Kai, Y. Kai, 2016 (Long-snout tonguefish) Lee, M.-Y., Munroe, T.A. & Kai, Y. (2016): Description of a new cryptic species of tonguefish (Pleuronectiformes: Cynoglossidae: ''Symphurus'') from shallow waters off Japan. ''Ichthyological Research, 64 (1): 71–83.'' * ''Symphurus lubbocki'' Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe, 1990 * ''Symphurus luzonensis'' Paul Chabanaud, Chabanaud, 1955 * ''Symphurus macrophthalmus'' John Roxborough Norman, Norman, 1939 * ''Symphurus maculopinnis'' Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe, Jennifer Tyler, J. Tyler & Verena Tunnicliffe, Tunnicliffe, 2011 Munroe, T.A., Tyler, J. & Tunnicliffe, V. (2011): Description and biological observations on a new species of deepwater symphurine tonguefish (Pleuronectiformes: Cynoglossidae: ''Symphurus'') collected at Volcano–19, Tonga Arc, West Pacific Ocean. ''Zootaxa, 3061: 53-66.'' * ''Symphurus maldivensis'' Paul Chabanaud, Chabanaud, 1955 * ''Symphurus marginatus'' (George Brown Goode, Goode & Tarleton Hoffman Bean, T. H. Bean, 1886) (Margined tonguefish) * ''Symphurus marmoratus'' Henry Weed Fowler, Fowler, 1934 * ''Symphurus megasomus'' Lee Mao-Ying, M. Y. Lee, Chen Hong-Ming, H. M. Chen & Shao Kwang-Tsao, K. T. Shao, 2009 (Giant tonguefish) * ''Symphurus melanurus'' Howard Walton Clark, H. W. Clark, 1936 (Drab tonguefish) * ''Symphurus melasmatotheca'' Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe & Martha Susan Nizinski, Nizinski, 1990 (Black-stripe tonguefish) * ''Symphurus microlepis'' Samuel Garman, Garman, 1899 (Small-fin tonguefish) * ''Symphurus microrhynchus'' (Max Carl Wilhelm Weber, M. C. W. Weber, 1913) * ''Symphurus minor'' Isaac Ginsburg, Ginsburg, 1951 (Large-scale tonguefish) * ''Symphurus monostigmus'' Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe, 2006 * ''Symphurus multimaculatus'' Lee Mao-Ying, M. Y. Lee, Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe & Chen Hong-Ming, H. M. Chen, 2009 (Pepper-dot tonguefish) * ''Symphurus nebulosus'' (George Brown Goode, Goode & Tarleton Hoffman Bean, T. H. Bean, 1883) (Freckled tonguefish) * ''Symphurus nigrescens'' Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, Rafinesque, 1810 (Tonguefish) * ''Symphurus normani'' Paul Chabanaud, Chabanaud, 1950 (Norman's tonguefish) * ''Symphurus novemfasciatus'' Shen Shih-Chieh, S. C. Shen & Lin Wen-Wen, W. W. Lin, 1984 * ''Symphurus ocellaris'' Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe & David Ross Robertson, D. R. Robertson, 2005 (Ring-tail tonguefish) * ''Symphurus ocellatus'' Cecil von Bonde, von Bonde, 1922 (Double-spot tonguefish) * ''Symphurus oculellus'' Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe, 1991 * ''Symphurus oligomerus'' Madhu Narayanan Mahadeva, Mahadeva & Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe, 1990 (Spot-fin tonguefish) * ''Symphurus ommaspilus'' James Erwin Böhlke, J. E. Böhlke, 1961 (Ocellated tonguefish) * ''Symphurus orientalis'' (Pieter Bleeker, Bleeker, 1879) * ''Symphurus parvus'' Isaac Ginsburg, Ginsburg, 1951 (Pygmy tonguefish) * ''Symphurus pelicanus'' Isaac Ginsburg, Ginsburg, 1951 (Long-tail tonguefish) * ''Symphurus piger'' (George Brown Goode, Goode & Tarleton Hoffman Bean, T. H. Bean, 1886) (Deep-water tonguefish) * ''Symphurus plagiusa'' (Carl Linnaeus, Linnaeus, 1766) (Black-cheek tonguefish) * ''Symphurus plagusia'' (Marcus Elieser Bloch, Bloch & Johann Gottlob Schneider, J. G. Schneider, 1801) (Dusky-cheek tonguefish) * ''Symphurus prolatinaris'' Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe, Martha Susan Nizinski, Nizinski & Madhu Narayanan Mahadeva, Mahadeva, 1991 (Half-striped tonguefish) * ''Symphurus pusillus'' (George Brown Goode, Goode & Tarleton Hoffman Bean, T. H. Bean, 1885) (Northern tonguefish) * ''Symphurus regani'' Max Carl Wilhelm Weber, M. C. W. Weber & Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort, de Beaufort, 1929 * ''Symphurus reticulatus'' Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe, 1990 * ''Symphurus rhytisma'' James Erwin Böhlke, J. E. Böhlke, 1961 (Patch-tail tonguefish) * ''Symphurus schultzi'' Paul Chabanaud, Chabanaud, 1955 * ''Symphurus septemstriatus'' (Alfred William Alcock, Alcock, 1891) (Seven-band tonguefish) * ''Symphurus stigmosus'' Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe, 1998 (Blotch-fin tonguefish) * ''Symphurus strictus'' Charles Henry Gilbert, C. H. Gilbert, 1905 (Black-belly tonguefish) * ''Symphurus tessellatus'' (Jean René Constant Quoy, Quoy & Joseph Paul Gaimard, Gaimard, 1824) * ''Symphurus thermophilus'' Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe & Jun Hashimoto, Hashimoto, 2008 (Western Pacific tonguefish) * ''Symphurus trewavasae'' Paul Chabanaud, Chabanaud, 1948 (Trewavas' tonguefish) * ''Symphurus trifasciatus'' (Alfred William Alcock, Alcock, 1894) (Three-band tonguefish) * ''Symphurus undatus'' Charles Henry Gilbert, C. H. Gilbert, 1905 * ''Symphurus undecimplerus'' Thomas A. Munroe, Munroe & Martha Susan Nizinski, Nizinski, 1990 (Dark-cheek tonguefish) * ''Symphurus urospilus'' Isaac Ginsburg, Ginsburg, 1951 (Spot-tail tonguefish) * ''Symphurus vanmelleae'' Paul Chabanaud, Chabanaud, 1952 (Vanmelle's tonguefish) * ''Symphurus variegatus'' (John Dow Fisher Gilchrist, Gilchrist, 1903) * ''Symphurus varius'' Samuel Garman, Garman, 1899 (Mottled tonguefish) * ''Symphurus williamsi'' David Starr Jordan, D. S. Jordan & George Bliss Culver, Culver, 1895 (William's tonguefish) * ''Symphurus woodmasoni'' (Alfred William Alcock, Alcock, 1889)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2785579 Cynoglossidae Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque Marine fish genera