Pointed-headed batfish
| Pointed-headed batfish | ||||||||||||
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Pointed-headed batfish ( Platax pinnatus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Platax pinnatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The pointed head batfish ( Platax pinnatus ) lives in the western Pacific from the Ryūkyū Islands to Australia and New Caledonia . Because the fry are black to dark brown and are surrounded by an orange border, it is also called the red- border batfish .
In addition to their striking color, juvenile fish have very elongated dorsal and anal fins that are widened at the end. It is believed that with this color and shape they imitate a poisonous slug or flatworm ( mimicry ). They live in mangrove areas and shallow coral reefs .
Adult fish get a more discus-shaped shape, the fins are no longer so high in relation to the body, the body becomes silver-gray. As with the other batfish, they get three slightly dark gray vertical bands. You can tell them apart from their relatives by their more pointed snout. They usually live in pairs further seaward, in deeper lagoons, reef channels and outer reefs .
Pointed-headed batfish grow to be 18 inches long and feed on algae and soft planktonic animals such as jellyfish and salps .
The attractive-looking juvenile fish are sometimes offered as ornamental marine fish by irresponsible traders . However, because of the expected final size, they are completely unsuitable as stock for the private reef aquarium and are also difficult to feed.
literature
- Hans A. Baensch , Robert A. Patzner: Mergus sea water atlas. Volume 7: Perciformes (perch-like). Mergus-Verlag, Melle, ISBN 3-88244-107-0 .
Web links
- Pointed head batfish on Fishbase.org (English)