Ephippidae
Encyclopedia
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 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 camouflage
. Scuba divers sometimes mistake them for angelfish
, 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 spadefish
(Chaetodipterus faber), for example, is an attractive black and white zebra-striped fish common just offshore in the southeastern United States
and Caribbean
. They are favorites because they put up a fight as they are reeled in. Spadefish are generally considered to be an overfished
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 Reef
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.
Reef
In 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 camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
. Scuba divers sometimes mistake them for angelfish
Marine angelfish
Marine 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 spadefish
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), for example, is an attractive black and white zebra-striped fish common just offshore in the southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and 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...
. They are favorites because they put up a fight as they are reeled in. Spadefish are generally considered to be an overfished
Overfishing
Overfishing 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 Reef
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest 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
Seaweed
Seaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae...
that other herbivorous fish such as parrotfish
Parrotfish
Parrotfishes are a group of fishes that traditionally had been considered a family , but now often are considered a subfamily of the wrasses. They are found in relatively shallow tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world, but with the largest species richness in the Indo-Pacific...
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 spadefishAtlantic 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 (Broussonet, 1782). - West African spadefish, Chaetodipterus lippei SteindachnerFranz SteindachnerFranz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist.- Work and career :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 (GirardCharles Frédéric GirardCharles Frédéric Girard was a French biologist specializing in 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).
- Atlantic spadefish
- Genus Ephippus
- East Atlantic African spadefish, Ephippus goreensis CuvierGeorges CuvierGeorges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...
, 1831. - Orbfish, Ephippus orbis (BlochMarcus Elieser BlochMarcus 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).
- East Atlantic African spadefish, Ephippus goreensis Cuvier
- Genus Gunnalius
- Burmese spadefish, Gunnalius auratus (Jred, 1947).
- Genus Parapsettus
- Panama spadefish, Parapsettus panamensis (SteindachnerFranz SteindachnerFranz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist.- Work and career :Being interested in natural history, Steindachner took up the study of fossil fishes on the recommendation of his friend Eduard Suess...
, 1875).
- Panama spadefish, Parapsettus panamensis (Steindachner
- Genus PlataxPlataxPlatax 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".-Description:...
- Humpback batfish, 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. - Golden spadefish, 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. - Orbicular batfishOrbicular batfishThe orbicular batfish is a popular aquarium fish endemic to tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.-Description:...
, 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).
- Dusky batfish, 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). - Tiera batfish, 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).
- Humpback batfish, Platax batavianus Cuvier
- Genus Proteracanthus
- Proteracanthus sarissophorus (CantorTheodore Edward CantorTheodore 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...
, 1849).
- Proteracanthus sarissophorus (Cantor
- Genus Rhinoprenes
- Threadfin scat, Rhinoprenes pentanemus Munro, 1964.
- Genus Tripterodon
- African spadefish, Tripterodon orbis (BlochMarcus Elieser BlochMarcus 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).
- African spadefish, Tripterodon orbis (Bloch
- Genus Zabidius
- Ninespine BatfishNinespine BatfishThe 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).
- Ninespine Batfish