Ephippidae is the fish family containing the
spadefishes. There are about eight genera with a total of 20 species, mostly marine. The most well-known species are probably those in the
reef-dwellingIn nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
genus
Platax, the
batfishes, which are kept as aquarium fish. They are spade-shaped, laterally compressed, and very symmetrical triangular dorsal and anal fins. They are shiny silver with areas of yellow and vertical brown or black banding.
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Ephippidae is the fish family containing the
spadefishes. There are about eight genera with a total of 20 species, mostly marine. The most well-known species are probably those in the
reef-dwellingIn nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
genus
Platax, the
batfishes, which are kept as aquarium fish. They are spade-shaped, laterally compressed, and very symmetrical triangular dorsal and anal fins. They are shiny silver with areas of yellow and vertical brown or black banding. The eyes are often located in one of the vertical bands as a method of
camouflageCamouflage is a method of crypsis that allows an otherwise visible organism or object to remain indiscernible from the surrounding environment through deception. Examples include a tiger's stripes and the battledress of a modern soldier...
. Scuba divers sometimes mistake them for
angelfishMarine angelfish are perciform fish of the family Pomacanthidae. They are found on shallow reefs in the tropical Atlantic, Indian, and mostly western Pacific oceans. The family contains seven genera and approximately 86 species...
, which are similar in shape but not closely related. Other genera in the family are characterized by long, trailing, pointed dorsal and anal fins. Most species feed primarily on algae and small invertebrates.
Some spadefishes are popular sport fishing catches. The
Atlantic spadefishThe Atlantic spadefish is a species of marine fish endemic to the western Atlantic Ocean. They are commonly found in shallow waters off the coast of the southeastern United States and in the Caribbean....
(
Chaetodipterus faber), for example, is an attractive black and white zebra-striped fish common just offshore in the southeastern
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and
CaribbeanThe Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts...
. They are favorites because they put up a fight as they are reeled in. Spadefish are generally considered to be an
overfishedOverfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans....
group. Most of the individuals caught are small and young and are nowhere near the maximum size recorded for their species.
A recent study in
Current Biology (vol 16, p. 2434) has suggested that the batfish
Platus pinnatus may play the role of a critical functional group in the
Great Barrier ReefThe Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
by eating seaweed that other herbivorous fish such as parrotfish and surgeonfish will not touch. Overgrowth of seaweed among corals occurs as a result of overfishing of large fish species and inhibits the ability of coral to support life.
Species
- Genus Chaetodipterus
- Atlantic spadefish
The Atlantic spadefish is a species of marine fish endemic to the western Atlantic Ocean. They are commonly found in shallow waters off the coast of the southeastern United States and in the Caribbean....
, Chaetodipterus faber (Broussonet, 1782).
- West African spadefish, Chaetodipterus lippei Steindachner
Franz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist.Being interested in natural history, Steindachner took up the study of fossil fishes on the recommendation of his friend Eduard Suess...
, 1895.
- Pacific spadefish, Chaetodipterus zonatus (Girard
Charles Frédéric Girard was a French biologist specializing on ichthyology and herpetology.Born in Mulhouse, France, he studied at the College of Neuchâtel, Switzerland as a student of Louis Agassiz. In 1847, he accompanied Agassiz as his assistant to Harvard...
, 1858).
- Genus Ephippus
Ephippus or Ephippos may refer to:* Ephippus of Olynthus, Ancient Greek historian of Alexander the Great* Ephippus of Athens, Ancient Greek comic poet...
- East Atlantic African spadefish, Ephippus goreensis Cuvier
Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier was a French naturalist and zoologist. Of humble working class origins, he belonged to a new class of self-made scholars who worked their way to the top of academe...
, 1831.
- Orbfish, Ephippus orbis (Bloch
Marcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
, 1787).
- Genus Parapsettus
- Panama spadefish, Parapsettus panamensis (Steindachner
Franz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist.Being interested in natural history, Steindachner took up the study of fossil fishes on the recommendation of his friend Eduard Suess...
, 1875).
- Genus Platax
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 "batfishes"....
- Humpback batfish, Platax batavianus Cuvier
Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier was a French naturalist and zoologist. Of humble working class origins, he belonged to a new class of self-made scholars who worked their way to the top of academe...
, 1831.
- Golden spadefish, Platax boersii Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia....
, 1852.
- Orbicular batfish
The Orbicular Batfish is a popular aquarium fish endemic to tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.Its body is almost disc-shaped, and very thin; the tail, about 20% of the body length, is fan-shaped and taller than it is long. Males can grow to up to 50cm in length, though aquarium...
, Platax orbicularis (ForsskålPeter Forsskål, sometimes spelled Pehr Forsskål, Peter Forskaol, Petrus Forskål or Pehr Forsskåhl, was a Swedish explorer, orientalist and naturalist.-Early life:...
, 1775).
- Dusky batfish, Platax pinnatus
Platax pinnatus, also known as Dusky batfish or Red Faced Batfish is a fish from the western Pacific that occasionally is kept in marine aquariums.-Anatomy and morphology:...
(LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature...
, 1758).
- Tiera batfish, Platax teira
Platax teira is a fish from the Indo-West Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 70cm in length....
(ForsskålPeter Forsskål, sometimes spelled Pehr Forsskål, Peter Forskaol, Petrus Forskål or Pehr Forsskåhl, was a Swedish explorer, orientalist and naturalist.-Early life:...
, 1775).
- Genus Proteracanthus
- Proteracanthus sarissophorus (Cantor
Theodore Edward Cantor was a Danish physician, zoologist and botanist.Cantor worked for the British East India Company. He made natural history collections in Penang and Malacca.He was the author of...
, 1849).
- Genus Rhinoprenes
- Threadfin scat, Rhinoprenes pentanemus Munro, 1964.
- Genus Tripterodon
- African spadefish, Tripterodon orbis (Bloch
Marcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
, 1787).
- Genus Zabidius
- Ninespine batfish
The Ninespine Batfish also known as the Short-Finned Batfish is a species of spadefish in the family Ephippidae. It is found most commonly in the Indo-Pacific area living in salt water....
, Zabidius novemaculeatus (McCulloch, 1916).