brown tonguesole

Cynoglossus arel

Fish
IUCN: Data deficient

Usual depth8–41 m
Water temperature24–30 °C
Best monthsApril, September, and November
How commonRare

About this species

Cynoglossus arel, commonly known as the largescale tonguesole, is a species of tonguefish. The eyed side of the fish is uniform brown, with a dark patch on the gill cover, and its blind side is white. They are harmless to humans and predominantly feed on bottom-living invertebrates.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Cynoglossus arel”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 1 records
February: 0 records
March: 3 records
April: 6 records
May: 5 records
June: 3 records
July: 2 records
August: 2 records
September: 10 records
October: 1 records
November: 8 records
December: 5 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 8–41 m · Deepest record: 635 m

0–10 m: 3 records
10–20 m: 6 records
20–30 m: 9 records
30–40 m: 7 records
40–50 m: 2 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 1 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 1 records
110+ m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 24–30 °C

22–24 °C: 1 records
24–26 °C: 6 records
26–28 °C: 16 records
28–30 °C: 41 records

Names and classification

English: brown tonguesole, Largescale Tonguesole

Names in 5 more languages

Spanish: Lengua Escamuda
French: Langue à Grandes Écailles
Japanese: Tenjikuinunoshita, テンジクイヌノシタ
Thai: ปลายอดม่วงเกล็ดใหญ่
Simplified Chinese: 印度舌鰨, 大鱗舌鰨, 扁魚, 比目魚, 牛舌, 皇帝魚, 舌鰨, 龍舌

Other scientific names: Arelia kaupi, Cynoglossus macrolepidus, Pleuronectes arel

Similar species

Zanzibar tonguesole
Cynoglossus zanzibarensis
Spotfin Tongue Sole
Cynoglossus maculipinnis
Broadhurst's Tongue-sole
Cynoglossus broadhursti
McCulloch's Tongue-sole
Cynoglossus maccullochi
Malabar Sole
Cynoglossus macrostomus
Speckled Tonguesole
Cynoglossus puncticeps

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
183 open-data records from 1801 to 2018.
Species data updated November 2, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist