''Platax pinnatus'', also known as the pinnate spadefish, pinnate batfish, pinnatus batfish, dusky batfish, shaded batfish, or red-faced batfish is a fish from the western
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
that occasionally is kept in
marine aquarium
A marine aquarium is an aquarium that keeps marine plants and animals in a contained environment. Marine aquaria are further subdivided by hobbyists into fish only (FO), fish only with live rock (FOWLR), and reef aquaria. Fish only tanks ofte ...
s.
Description
As a juvenile it is blackish brown, or black with an orange stripe outlining its entire body. Adults become a dull silver. This fish grows to a maximum size of .
Importance to humans
In the aquarium
The pinnate batfish is occasionally kept in marine aquariums.
In the wild
''Platax pinnatus'' has been observed to significantly reduce algal growths on coral in studies simulating
overfishing on the Great Barrier Reef.
References
fishbase Page on Platax pinnatuspage on Platax pinnatus
External links
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Ephippidae
Fish of the Pacific Ocean
Fish described in 1758
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
{{Ephippidae-stub