Platax
Encyclopedia
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
".
. Adults are rather disc-shaped fish, with laterally compressed bodies and large dorsal and anal fins that give individuals a somewhat triangular profile. Platax teira
is the largest species, reaching lengths of around 70 centimetres (27.6 in). The other species reach maximum lengths of around 40 centimetre.
region. Their range extends from the western Indian Ocean in the Red Sea
to as far East as Australia
. Most Platax species can be found in higher latitudes, as high as the Ryukyu Islands in Japan
and as far South as the eastern coast of Australia. However, the ranges of the individual species is not consistent throughout the genus' range. Platax pinnatus
for example is most likely not found in the Indian Ocean. A few individuals have been found in Atlantic
waters. Apparently, the species Platax orbicularis has been observed in Florida
waters as a non-native, invasive species
. The aquarium
industry has been blamed for the spread of this species into the Caribbean
.
Members of the genus are most common around reef
s and shipwreck
s.
with the publication of his 1816 system of animal classification. He assigned the genus to the batfish species Platax boersii, a classification which still holds to this day. Another species to be assigned to the genus by Cuvier was Platax ocellatus, a butterflyfish that is now more correctly classified in the genus Parachaetodon in another family. In the same work, a species that is now known to belong to the genus, Platax teira
was classified by Cuvier in a different genus, Chaetodon teira.
A few species have been assigned to the genus that have since been reclassified into other genera
. The butterflyfish, Parachaetodon ocellatus mentioned above is one of these species. Another species that has been mistakenly classified as a Platax is the common freshwater angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare. In a joint effort with Valenciennes
, Cuvier published a natural history work in 1831 where the freshwater angelfish was classified as Platax scalaris. The freshwater angelfish, of course is not as closely related to the marine batfish as to warrant classification in the same genus. A more scientifically acceptable mis-classification would be that of the species Zabidius novemaculeatus. This species was first described as Platax novemaculeatus by Mcculloch when it was discovered from Australia in the early 1900s. The species is now classified in the genus Zabidius, which is still in the same family
as the genus Platax.
The genus name, "platax" was coined from the Greek
term platys - meaning "flat". This refers to the generally compressed body shape of the fish. They are commonly called "batfish". However, they are not the only fish taxon called by this name. Fish from the only distantly related family Ogcocephalidae
are also commonly known as "batfish". Other families with species that have been referred to as "batfish" include the families Dactylopteridae
, Drepaneidae
, Monacanthidae, and Monodactylidae
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
, reef-associated fish belonging to the family Ephippidae
Ephippidae
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-dwelling genus Platax, the batfishes, which are kept as aquarium fish. They are spade-shaped, laterally...
. There are currently five known extant species generally accepted to belong to the genus. They are one of the fish taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
commonly known as "batfish
Batfish
Batfish is a name given to several fishes:* The California batfish or sting ray .* Some members of the family Ephippidae.* Some members of the family Ogcocephalidae, including the Pancake batfish.and:...
".
Description
Members of the genus Platax are generally similar in shape to the other species in the familyEphippidae
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-dwelling genus Platax, the batfishes, which are kept as aquarium fish. They are spade-shaped, laterally...
. Adults are rather disc-shaped fish, with laterally compressed bodies and large dorsal and anal fins that give individuals a somewhat triangular profile. Platax teira
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....
is the largest species, reaching lengths of around 70 centimetres (27.6 in). The other species reach maximum lengths of around 40 centimetre.
Distribution
Platax can be found in reefs throughout the entire Indo-PacificIndo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
region. Their range extends from the western Indian Ocean in the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
to as far East as Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Most Platax species can be found in higher latitudes, as high as the Ryukyu Islands in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and as far South as the eastern coast of Australia. However, the ranges of the individual species is not consistent throughout the genus' range. Platax pinnatus
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:...
for example is most likely not found in the Indian Ocean. A few individuals have been found in Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
waters. Apparently, the species Platax orbicularis has been observed in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
waters as a non-native, invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
. The aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
industry has been blamed for the spread of this species into the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
Members of the genus are most common around reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
s and shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
s.
Taxonomy
The genus was first used by CuvierGeorges Cuvier
Georges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...
with the publication of his 1816 system of animal classification. He assigned the genus to the batfish species Platax boersii, a classification which still holds to this day. Another species to be assigned to the genus by Cuvier was Platax ocellatus, a butterflyfish that is now more correctly classified in the genus Parachaetodon in another family. In the same work, a species that is now known to belong to the genus, Platax teira
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....
was classified by Cuvier in a different genus, Chaetodon teira.
A few species have been assigned to the genus that have since been reclassified into other genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
. The butterflyfish, Parachaetodon ocellatus mentioned above is one of these species. Another species that has been mistakenly classified as a Platax is the common freshwater angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare. In a joint effort with Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
, Cuvier published a natural history work in 1831 where the freshwater angelfish was classified as Platax scalaris. The freshwater angelfish, of course is not as closely related to the marine batfish as to warrant classification in the same genus. A more scientifically acceptable mis-classification would be that of the species Zabidius novemaculeatus. This species was first described as Platax novemaculeatus by Mcculloch when it was discovered from Australia in the early 1900s. The species is now classified in the genus Zabidius, which is still in the same family
Ephippidae
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-dwelling genus Platax, the batfishes, which are kept as aquarium fish. They are spade-shaped, laterally...
as the genus Platax.
The genus name, "platax" was coined from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
term platys - meaning "flat". This refers to the generally compressed body shape of the fish. They are commonly called "batfish". However, they are not the only fish taxon called by this name. Fish from the only distantly related family Ogcocephalidae
Ogcocephalidae
Ogcocephalidae is a family of bottom-dwelling, specially adapted fish. They are sometimes referred to as batfishes or anglerfishes. They are found in deep, lightless waters of the Atlantic, Indian and western Pacific Oceans....
are also commonly known as "batfish". Other families with species that have been referred to as "batfish" include the families Dactylopteridae
Dactylopteridae
The flying gurnards are a family, Dactylopteridae, of marine fish notable for their greatly enlarged pectoral fins. As they cannot literally fly, an alternative name preferred by some authors is helmet gurnards...
, Drepaneidae
Drepaneidae
The sicklefishes are perciform fishes of the genus Drepane, the only genus in the family Drepaneidae. They are found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans, and in the eastern Atlantic near Africa...
, Monacanthidae, and Monodactylidae
Monodactylidae
The Monodactylidae is a family of fish within the Perciformes commonly referred to as monos, moonyfishes or fingerfishes. All are strongly laterally compressed with an approximately disc-shaped body and tall anal and dorsal fins. Unusually for fish, there are scales on the dorsal fin and sometimes...
.
Species
- Platax altissimus† (fossil species from Monte BolcaMonte BolcaMonte Bolca is a lagerstätte near Verona, Italy that was one of the first fossil sites with high quality preservation known to Europeans, and is still an important source of fossils from the Eocene....
- Platax batavianus CuvierGeorges CuvierGeorges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...
, 1831. - Platax boersii BleekerPieter BleekerPieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....
, 1852. - Platax macropterygious† (fossil species from Monte Bolca)
- Platax orbicularis (ForsskålPeter ForsskålPeter Forsskål, sometimes spelled Pehr Forsskål, Peter Forskaol, Petrus Forskål or Pehr Forsskåhl, was a Swedish explorer, orientalist, naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus.-Early life:...
, 1775). - Platax pinnatusPlatax pinnatusPlatax 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:...
(LinnaeusCarolus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
, 1758). - Platax teiraPlatax teiraPlatax 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 ForsskålPeter Forsskål, sometimes spelled Pehr Forsskål, Peter Forskaol, Petrus Forskål or Pehr Forsskåhl, was a Swedish explorer, orientalist, naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus.-Early life:...
, 1775).