Longfin batfish | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Moroniformes |
Family: | Ephippidae |
Genus: | Platax |
Species: | P. teira |
Binomial name | |
Platax teira (Forsskål, 1775) | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Platax teira, also known as the teira batfish, longfin batfish, longfin spadefish, or round faced batfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ephippidae, the spadefishes and batfishes. This species is found in the Indo-West Pacific.
Platax teira was first formally described as Chaetodon teira by the Swedish-speaking Finnish explorer, orientalist, naturalist Peter Forsskål with its type locality given as Al Luḩayyah on the Red Sea coast of Yemen. [3] This species was designated as the type species of the genus Platax by Pieter Bleeker in 1876, Platax belongs to the family Ephippidae [4] in the order Moroniformes. [5] The specific name teira is a latinisation of the Arabic teyra the name given to the juveniles in Yemen. [6]
Platax teira has a dark blotch under the pectoral fin, with another long dark mark above the base of the anal fin. Looked at from the side, it has a roughly circular body with a low hump on the nape. This fish is usually silver, grey or brownish. It has a blackish band through the eye and another band with the pectoral fin. They will change colour from silvery white with no bands, to brown with darker banding as you watch, and then fade back to silver again. [7] This species has a maximum published total length of 70 cm (28 in). [2] The very small juveniles are brownish in colour and look like floating leaves. The larger juveniles have the pelvic fins and front soft rays of the dorsal and anal fins highly elongated, extending to around the posterior of the base of the anal fin. [8]
Platax teira has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution from the Red Sea and East Africa to Papua New Guinea, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Australia. It has also been recorded in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. [2] In Australia it can be found from the central coast of Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country and south to the southern coast of New South Wales. [7] In India it was reported from the Gulf of Mannar following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. [9] It has been reported twice recently in the Mediterranean Sea, [10] off Turkey [11] and Israel. [12]
They are known to reside among floating seaweed, debris, and artificial reefs. [13] The species occurs in shallow coastal habitats to deeper offshore. [7]
Platax teira is an omnivore. It will eat plankton, sessile invertebrates, small invertebrates, and marine algae. [14] The small juveniles stay among floating debris, forming aggregations as the individual fishes find each other. At larger sizes they increasingly become more pelagic and will form sizeable schools which shelter beneath large rafts of Sargassum that typically form following the wet season. [2]
They are a very peaceful and social fish and will form schools with others of their species. They should not be kept with very aggressive species that may harass them as juveniles. Teira batfish are usually rather small when first purchased, but they will rapidly outgrow a small home aquarium to reach a maximum size of 24". [14]
Platax teira is caught using hook-and-line, palisade traps, spear, trawls and hand nets. [15] The flesh is not valued [2] and may have an excellent flavour or taste rank and weedy. [15]
The orbicular batfish, also known as the cooper batfish, circular batfish, orbiculate batfish, round batfish, narrow-banded batfish or orbic batfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ephippidae, the spadefishes and batfishes. This species is found in the Indo-Pacific but has been recorded outside its native range in the western Atlantic Ocean.
The emperor angelfish is a species of marine angelfish. It is a reef-associated fish, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea to Hawaii and the Austral Islands. This species is generally associated with stable populations and faces no major threats of extinction. It is a favorite of photographers, artists, and aquarists because of its unique, brilliant pattern of coloration.
The sohal surgeonfish or sohal tang, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, which includes the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. This fish is found in the northwestern Indian Ocean.
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Scatophagus argus, the spotted scat, butterfish, mia mia, spotted butterfish or tiger scat, is a species of fish in the scat family Scatophagidae. It occurs in two basic color morphs which are called green scat and ruby or red scat. This fish is generally distributed around the Indo-Pacific region, to Japan, New Guinea, and southeastern Australia. They live in coastal muddy areas, including estuaries, mangroves, harbours, and the lower courses of rivers. They are popular aquarium fish.
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Zebrasoma xanthurum, the purple tang or yellowtail tang, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae which includes the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. This species is endemic to the north western Indian Ocean.
Platax pinnatus, also known as the longfin batfish, pinnate spadefish, pinnate batfish, pinnatus batfish, dusky batfish, shaded batfish, or red-faced batfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ephippidae, the spadefishes and batfishes. This species is found in the western Pacific Ocean and occasionally is kept in marine aquariums.
Pomacanthus maculosus, the yellowbar angelfish, half-moon angelfish, yellow-marked angelfish, yellowband angelfish or yellow-blotched angelfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the western Indian Ocean and, more recently, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Platax is a genus of Indo-Pacific, reef-associated fish belonging to the family Ephippidae. There are currently five known extant species generally accepted to belong to the genus. They are one of the fish taxa commonly known as "batfish".
The bartail flathead, also known as the Indian flathead, gobi or Indo-Pacific flathead, is a species of largely marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Platycephalidae, the flatheads. This species is found in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific Ocean, and has invaded the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Chaetodipterus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Ephippidae, the spadefishes. These fishes are found in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans.
Proteracanthus is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ephippidae, the spadefishes and batfishes. The only species in the genus is Proeracanthus sarissophorus which occurs in coral reefs around Malaysia, Borneo, and Sumatra. This species is also known as the harpoon spadefish, or in Malaysia as drummer, knightfish, rudderfish or sea chub. This species grows to a length of 32.5 centimetres (12.8 in) SL.
Platax batavianus, the humpback batfish, Batavian batfish, batfish, humped batfish, hump-headed hatfish, moonfish or zebra batfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Ephippidae, the spadefishes and batfishes. They are found in coral reefs around the Indo-Pacific region. Adults can grow up to 65 centimetres (26 in) at maximum.
Lutjanus fulviflamma, the dory snapper, blackspot snapper, black-spot sea perch, finger-mark bream, long-spot snapper, Moses perch or red bream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lutjanidae, the snappers. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.
Siganus rivulatus, the marbled spinefoot, rivulated rabbitfish or surf parrotfish, is a gregarious, largely herbivorous ray-finned fish of the family Siganidae. Its natural range encompasses the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea from where it colonised the Mediterranean Sea by Lessepsian migration through the Suez Canal. It is the type species of the genus Siganus.
Parupeneus forsskali, common name Red Sea goatfish, is a species of goatfish belonging to the family Mullidae.
Oxyurichthys petersii, commonly known as Peters' goby, is a species of ray-finned fish, a goby, from the family Oxudercidae. It is native to the Red Sea, and has now colonised the eastern Mediterranean Sea by Lessepsian migration through the Suez Canal.
Equulites popei, Pope's ponyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a ponyfish from the family Leiognathidae. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution which extends from the Red Sea east to the western Pacific Ocean. It has entered the Mediterranean as a Lessepsian migrant. It was formerly considered to be synonymous with the elongate ponyfish.
Platax boersii, the golden spadefish or Boers’ batfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ephippidae, the spadefishes and bay fishes. This species is found in the Indo-West Pacific.