Platax batavianus, the humpback batfish, Batavian batfish, batfish, humped batfish, hump-headed hatfish, moonfish or zebra batfish,[1] is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Ephippidae, the spadefishes and batfishes.[2] They are found in coral reefs around the Indo-Pacific region. Adults can grow up to 65 centimetres (26 in) at maximum.
| Humpback batfish | |
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| Adult | |
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| Juvenile | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acanthuriformes |
| Family: | Ephippidae |
| Genus: | Platax |
| Species: | P. batavianus
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| Binomial name | |
| Platax batavianus Cuvier, 1831
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Classification
editPlatax batavianus was first formally described in 1831 by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier with its type locality given as Jakarta.[3] This species is classified within the genus Platax in the family Ephippidae.[4] The specific name refers to the type locality of Batavia, the colonial name for Jakarta.[5]
Distribution and habitat
editPlatax batavianus is found in coral reefs around the Indo-Pacific. They are found in eastern Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles, the Maldives, India, Sri Lanka, the Andaman Sea, Indonesia, and Australia in the Indian Ocean.[2] In the Pacific Ocean, they are found in the Gulf of Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, the Great Barrier Reef, New Zealand, and various Pacific islands not including Hawaii.[2] They are encountered at a depth of 5 to 40 metres (16 to 131 ft).[2] It lives in tropical waters.[2]
Description
editPlatax batavianus adults can grow up to 65 centimetres (26 in) at maximum size.[2] Juveniles and adults have different coloration.[2] Adults are silver with a dark bar around the eye and a faint one on the back.[2] They have brown fins and are shaped like an oval.[2] Juveniles are brown and are tall in appearance.[2] They have vertical white bars.[2] Their snouts are concave. It has tricuspid teeth and has strong jaws.[2]
Biology
editPlatax batavianus is a solitary species, but may be infrequently encountered as pairs or in small groups. The small juveniles can be found in deeper water where their zebra-like striping camouflages them when they shelter among crinoids.[2]
References
edit- ^ Bray, D.J. (2019). "Platax batavianus". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Platax batavianus". FishBase. November 2014 version.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Platax". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Ephippidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (12 January 2021). "Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 2): Families EPHIPPIDAE, LEIOGNATHIDAE, SCATOPHAGIDAE, ANTIGONIIDAE, SIGANIDAE, CAPROIDAE, LUVARIDAE, ZANCLIDAE and ACANTHURIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
External links
edit- Photos of Platax batavianus on Sealife Collection