Mottled Tonguefish

Photo courtesy from Wikiwand

Mottled Tonguefish (Symphurus varius)

Max. Length: 32 centimeters (usually at 10 cm.)
Length at 1st Maturity: 7.5 centimeters
a value:
b value:
Depth Range: 20 – 280 meters (60 – 920  feet)
Frequency: Abundant only in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

Photo courtesy from Wikipedia

Based from its English name, you can expect that this particular fish has a close resemblance with the tongue. But do not expect to have a red coloration like the ones that we have in our mouth. This tongue-like shaped fish has a highly compressed and elongated body which looks like your regular flatfish where both eyes are found on the left side. As to body coloration, they are mostly yellow to pale brown with a series of black spots covering the entire body.

Aside from its flat body orientation, what makes a mottled tonguefish unique is that their dorsal, caudal and anal fins are merged into just one continuous fin. Compared to the size of its close relatives, the flatfish and solefish, a mottled tonguefish is relatively small in size where its average length is only at 10 centimeters long.

Look at the Bottom and Interact

Photo courtesy from Wikipedia

While it would be intriguing if a mottled tonguefish, or any flatfish in general, can be often seen swimming in mid-water so that you can have an over-all perspective of the animal, but sad to say they’re not. However, it doesn’t mean that they don’t swim because they do in some instances. But, in most cases, they are seen on the reef bottom where you can sometimes see them partly covered under the sand.

So with this, if you want to interact and see the uniqueness of a mottled tonguefish, we suggest that you focus your sight on the ground rather than having a horizontal vision of the reef. Some divers who have been diving in Cocos island said that the perfect opportunity to search for a mottled tonguefish is during your arrival in a cleaning station where you can search for them on the sandy spaces of the reef while waiting for the arrival of hammerhead sharks and other big boys of the deep.

Found at Varying Depths

Photo courtesy from week.divebums.com

This is one of the few species in Cocos island where you may possibly see them in both your scuba diving adventures or during your deep-sea submersible voyage. Having a wide range of depth, you may see them in the sandy spaces of the reef usually at 20 meters (60 feet) or at the deep sandy trenches that may go as deep as 280 meters (920 feet).

But what is common about a mottled tonguefish, regardless of depth, is that you will see them lying flat just above the sand, rock or any solid object. They may be partly buried in the sand which makes them hard to find. With all these information, we suggest that you do not do an active search, but rather just do it passively. Don’t worry, there will come a time that environmental conditions may favor your side and that you will come across with this unique underwater resident of Cocos Island.

Book Cocos Island Journey

Reference:

Fishbase: www.fishbase.org

IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species: www.iucnredist.org

Encyclopedia of Life: www.eol.org

 

Cocos Island Liveaboard Trips for 2019

Due to high demand of liveaboard trips to Cocos island, as early as this year, we are publishing the 2019 trips for you to choose your preferred schedule and prepare for the ultimate diving adventure of your life. Reserve your seat to Cocos Island as they are selling like hotcakes. Schedule of Liveaboard Trip to […]