Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Pleuronectiformes (Flatfishes) >
Cynoglossidae (Tonguefishes) > Symphurinae
Etymology: Symphurus: Greek, syn, symphysis = grown together + Greek, oura = tail (Ref. 45335); hongae: Named for Y.-S. Hong, mother of M.-Y. Lee, who gave him financial and moral support of his research.
Eponymy: Yu-Syun Hong (1959–2018) was the mother of the senior author, Dr Mao-Ying Lee, a Taiwanese ichthyologist and marine biologist who works at the Marine Fisheries Division of the Fisheries Research Institute and Institute of Oceanography. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range ? - 100 m (Ref. 126065). Subtropical
Northwestern Pacific: Taiwan.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?, range 5 - 5.06 cm
Max length : 5.7 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 126065); 5.7 cm SL (female)
Dorsal soft rays (total): 85 - 90; Anal soft rays: 71 - 78; Vertebrae: 46 - 49. This species is distinguished from all its congeners by the following set of characters: ID pattern1-2-2-2-2; caudal-fin rays 12; vertebrae abdominal 9 (3 + 6), total 46-49; hypurals 4; D 85-90; A 71-78; longitudinal scale rows 72-81; transverse scale rows 28-31; scale rows on head posterior to lower orbit 15-17; relatively wide body (BD= 27.2-30.2% of SL); PAL slightly long (22.5-27.6% of SL); head short (HL= 20.4–22.7% of SL), its length usually shorter than its width (HW/HL= 1.07–1.16); postorbital length relatively long (POL= 71.0-74.8% of HL); upper head lobe usually larger than lower head lobe; dorsal-fin origin at vertical through posterior margin of pupil of upper eye; predorsal length short (PDL= 16.1-21.7% of HL); snout short (SNL= 11.7-15.5% of HL; SNL/ED= 0.87–1. 39), rounded to obliquely blunt anteriorly; anterior margin of the upper eye usually in advance of anterior margin of lower eye; fleshy ridge well developed on posterior part of ocular-side lower jaw; with membrane covering both eyes; continuous fleshy flap between ocular-side anterior nostril and lower part of eye. Colouration: ocular-side pigmentation uniformly yellow to light brown, dermal melanophores present at bases of anteriormost dorsal-fin rays; blind-side pigmentation uniformly white, usually with pepper-dots and dermal melanophores at bases of dorsal- and anal-fin rays; both sides of bases of anteriormost dorsal- and analfin rays with distinct dermal spots; peritoneum bluish-black (Ref. 126065).
Cross section: flattened.
Based on recovered landings where this species is included in an assemblage of fish species which generally live at, or about depths shallower than 100 m, this fish is a shallow-water species inhabiting depths shallower than 100 m (Ref. 126065).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Lee, M.-Y. and T.A. Munroe, 2021. Unraveling cryptic diversity among shallow-water tonguefishes (Pleuronectiformes: Cynoglossidae: Symphurus) from the Indo-West Pacific region, with descriptions of five new species. Zootaxa 5039(1):1-5.5 (Ref. 126065)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00190 - 0.00797), b=3.17 (3.00 - 3.34), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.2 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
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![Image of Symphurus hongae (Hong\](/images/thumbnails/gif/tn_CYNOGLT0.gif "Image of Symphurus hongae (Hong\")
