Home · Cynoglossidae · Fourline tongue sole
Fourline tongue sole (Cynoglossus bilineatus) — Cynoglossidae

Fourline tongue sole

Cynoglossus bilineatus
Family: Cynoglossidae
LC · Least Concern

The Fourline tongue sole (Cynoglossus bilineatus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Cynoglossidae that grows up to 44 cm.

Length
44 cm
Water
Brackish
Depth
10.0–400.0 m
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Solitary
Activity
Nocturnal
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like)
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Commonly eaten

Description

The fourline tongue sole is a tongue sole from the Indo-West Pacific. The species grows to about 44 cm and has a strongly flattened, tongue-shaped, brown body with several longitudinal lines along the lateral line; both eyes lie on the same side of the body. As a bottom-dweller it lies half-buried in sand and mud bottoms of coastal and estuarine water and hunts small benthic animals. It is a valued food fish. The IUCN assesses the species as Least Concern (LC).

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Fourline tongue sole?

The Fourline tongue sole has an elongate, eel-like body, is mainly brown and shows a horizontal stripes pattern.

Where does the Fourline tongue sole live?

The Fourline tongue sole lives in brackish water and is mostly found around sand or mud bottom.

How big does the Fourline tongue sole get?

The Fourline tongue sole grows to a maximum of about 44 cm. On average the species is around 30 cm.

Is the Fourline tongue sole dangerous to humans?

No, the Fourline tongue sole is harmless to humans.

Is the Fourline tongue sole edible?

Yes, the Fourline tongue sole is commonly eaten.

Download Fin's Fish Guide

Identify fish in seconds, log your catches and dives. Join the TestFlight beta.

Get the beta →

All data

Identification

Dutch name
Vierlijn-tongschar verified
English name
Fourline tongue sole verified
Scientific name
Cynoglossus bilineatus
Family
Cynoglossidae
Other names
Fourline tonguesole; Four-line tonguesole; Fourlined tonguesole verified

Appearance

Size class
Large verified
Max length (cm)
44.0 verified
Average length (cm)
30.0 verified
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like) sourced
Dominant colour
Brown sourced
Pattern
Horizontal stripes sourced
Tail shape
Rounded inferred
Mouth position
Inferior (downward) sourced
Lips
Thin sourced
Barbels
No sourced
Dorsal fins
One continuous sourced
Dorsal spines
No sourced

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Brackish sourced
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom sourced
Min depth (m)
10.0 verified
Max depth (m)
400.0 verified
Origin
Native verified

Behaviour & biology

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

For anglers

Edibility
Commonly eaten sourced
Fishing method
Netvisserij sourced
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

Download Fin's Fish Guide

Identify fish in seconds, log your catches and dives. Join the TestFlight beta.

Get the beta →