• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.208-213
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• 2016

The re-identification of two Korean tonguefishes, Cynoglossus interruptus and Symphurus orientalis, was carried out using eight specimens collected from Korean waters in 2007 and 2013. C. interruptus is characterized by having a single row of scales between rows connected to the supraorbital line and the middle lateral line, 107–113 dorsal fin rays, 86–89 anal fin rays, and 53–55 vertebrae. S. orientalis is characterized by having a 1-2-2-2-2 ID pattern, 97–100 dorsal fin rays, 83–89 anal fin rays, and 52–55 vertebrae. Molecular analysis using mitochondrial DNA Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I sequences showed that specimens of the two species corresponded well to Japanese C. interruptus and Taiwanese S. orientalis, respectively. Therefore, although several reports have raised questions regarding the distribution of C. interruptus and S. orientalis in Korean waters, morphological and molecular data confirm that these two species are indeed distributed in these waters.