An adult orbicular batfish may be solitary or can occasionally be found in large schools.
  • Size

    27.5 inches (70 cm)
  • Diet

    Algae and a variety of invertebrates
  • Range

    Indo-Pacific
  • Habitat

    Coastal lagoons out to seaward reefs and occasionally in deeper water offshore

Physical Characteristics

  • Adults grow to approximately 27.5 inches (70 cm) in length.
  • The body is rounded and strongly compressed.
  • Adults have a bony hump on their foreheads and their dorsal and anal fins are high and arched but in proportion to their bodies.
  • Juveniles look very different from adults. They have very short bodies with extremely tall dorsal and anal fins and do not have a forehead hump.
  • Coloration is yellowish silver or dusky in color and have a short dark vertical bar through the eye and another wider bar behind the operculum.

 

Animal Fact

Juvenile orbicular batfish will mimic leaves for protection.

Diet / Feeding

  • Feeds on algae and a variety of invertebrates, such as jellies or other plankton.

Range / Habitat

  • Occur in the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea and East Africa to Papua New Guinea, as well as near the Ryukyu Islands and Australia.
  • Juveniles inhabit seagrass meadows, mangrove areas and floating sargassum weed beds in shallow protected inner reefs.
  • Adults are usually found from coastal lagoons out to seaward reefs and occasionally in deeper waters offshore.
  • Longfin batfish are found most often at depths of 65 feet (20 m).
  • Commonly encountered near a deep wreck, mainly in the mid-waters above it.

Reproduction & Growth

  • Oviparous (egg-laying species)
  • It is believed that this batfish spawns in the open ocean and its larvae transform into juveniles when they are less than an inch (2.5 cm) long.

Conservation Status

  • “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List.

Additional Information

  • Adult may be solitary or occasionally form large schools.
  • Juveniles have been observed mimicking floating leaves in coastal waters. They also will form schools under floating rafts of sargassum.
  • It is believed that this batfish spawns in the open ocean and its larvae transform into juveniles when they are less than an inch (2.5 cm) long.

Sources

  • www.fishbase.org
  • Coral Sea Reef Guide. Halstead, B.
  • Southeast Asia Tropical Fish Guide. Kuiter, R. H. and Debelius, H.
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