tonguefish

English

a tonguefish (Cynoglossus capensis)

Etymology

From tongue +‎ fish.

Noun

tonguefish (plural tonguefishes or tonguefish)

1. Any of the flatfishes in the taxonomic family Cynoglossidae, distinguished by the presence of a long hook on the snout overhanging the mouth.
   • 1988, Gar Goodson, Fishes of the Pacific Coast‎^[1], page 163:

     Members of the family Cynoglossidae, the tonguefishes are for the most part too small to be of much interest as food fishes.

   • 1997, David W. Greenfield, Jamie E. Thomerson, Fishes of the Continental Waters of Belize, page 252:

     The tonguefishes are flatfishes found in the tropical and subtropical seas of the world, hut some species are found in freshwater hahitats (see Achiridae for a discussion of flatfishes).

   • 2010, Pat Senson, Nasty, Brutish, and Short: The Quirks and Quarks Guide to Animal Sex and Other Weird Behaviour‎^[2], page 249:

     But the tonguefish are unaffected by the noxious gases.
     The ”narked" fish end up as chow for the tonguefish.

Synonyms

• (fish of family Cynoglossidae): cynoglossid

Translations

Cynoglossidae

• Russian: морско́й язы́к (ru) m (morskój jazýk)