Alcock's tongue-sole

<em>Cynoglossus carpenteri</em>, Alcock's Tongue Sole, is a saltwater flatfish belonging to the family Cynoglossidae, the tongue soles. Adults grow to approximately 23 cm in length, and records place this species at depths of 27 to 420 meters across continental shelf and slope environments. Tongue soles are flatfishes that lie on their right side with both eyes on the left surface, and they lack pectoral fins—a highly derived body plan adapted to life on soft, sandy, or muddy seafloors. The genus <em>Cynoglossus</em> is the largest within the family, with numerous species distributed across Indo-Pacific coastal and shelf waters. <em>C. carpenteri</em> is likely a benthic predator and scavenger feeding on worms, small crustaceans, and other invertebrates burrowed in soft substrate. Details of habitat and range for this species remain limited in the ichthyological literature. The species honors P. H. Carpenter, a collaborator of Alcock's. No IUCN assessment is available. Several cynoglossid species are commercially harvested for food in parts of Asia, though this species' market importance is not established.