Thai National Parks

Platax teira, also known as the teira batfish, longfin batfish, longfin spadefish, or round faced batfish is a fish from the Indo-West Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 60 cm in length.

Description

Platax teira has a dark blotch under the pectoral fin, with another long dark mark above the base of the anal fin. Looked at from the side, it has a roughly circular body with a low hump on the nape. This fish is usually silver, grey or brownish. It has a blackish band through the eye and another band with the pectoral fin. They will change colour from silvery white with no bands, to brown with darker banding as you watch, and then fade back to silver again.

Distribution

In Australia it can be found from the central coast of Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country and south to the southern coast of New South Wales.

In India it was reported from the Gulf of Mannar. It has also been discovered as an invasive species off the Mediterranean coasts of Turkey (in 2006) and Israel (in 2010).

They are known to reside among floating seaweed, debris, and artificial reefs.

Habitat

The species occurs in shallow coastal habitats to deeper offshore.

Diet

Platax teira is an omnivore. It will eat plankton, sessile invertebrates, small invertebrates, and marine algae.

In the aquarium

They are a very peaceful and social fish and will form schools with others of their species. They should not be kept with very aggressive species that may harass them as juveniles. Teira batfish are usually rather small when first purchased, but they will rapidly outgrow a small home aquarium to reach a maximum size of 24".

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