Family : Cynoglossidae (Tonguefishes) , subfamily: Cynoglossinae
Order : Pleuronectiformes  (flatfishes)
Class : Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Fishbase Name : Fourlined tonguesole
Fish Name : Cynoglossus bilineatus
Max size : 44.0 cm SL (male/unsexed; Ref. 559)
Environment : demersal ; depth range 10 - 400 m
Climate : tropical; 26 - 29°C
Global Importance : fisheries: commercial
Resilience: Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)Distribution : Indo-West Pacific: Persian Gulf (Ref. 11441), off Pakistan, the west coast of India and Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, and the north and east coasts of Australia.
Diagnosis : Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 107-113; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 80-88. Eyed side brown with an irregular dark blotch on gill cover, blind side white. Blind side with 2 lateral lines (dorsal and medial). Body elongate, its depth 22 to 29% SL. Eyes with a small scaly interorbital space. Snout rounded. Rostral hook short. Corner of mouth reaching posteriorly beyond lower eye, nearer to gill opening than to tip of snout. Caudal-fin rays usually 12. Midlateral-line scales 88 to 96. Scales ctenoid on eyed side of body. Cycloid on blind side. Scale rows between lateral lines on eyed side of body 13 to 16 (Ref 9895).
Biology : Occurs in coastal areas and estuaries. May ascend upstream into the freshwater tidal zone of the Mekong (Ref. 12693). Inhabits muddy and sandy bottoms of continental shelves. Feeds mainly on benthic invertebrates (Ref. 3391). Utilized as a food fish (Ref. 3391). Marketed fresh in the Mekong delta (Ref. 12693)
Threatened : Dangerous:  
Dangerous : harmless
Coordinator :
Main Ref : Menon, A.G.K.. 1977. (Ref. 5297)

India country information
Common Names : ळीप, Fourlined tongue-sole, Lep
Status : native
Salinity : marine
Uses : no uses