Longfin Spadefish

The Longfin Spadefish, scientifically known as Platax teira and also referred to as the Teira Batfish or Longfin Batfish, is a marine species commonly found in tropical, reef-associated environments. These fish are amphidromous, meaning they can move between freshwater and saltwater at different stages of their life cycle. Typically, they inhabit areas at depths ranging from 3 to 25 meters (10 to 82 feet).

This species can grow to a maximum length of 70 centimeters (about 27 inches). The Longfin Spadefish is distinguished by a notable dark spot near the base of its pelvic fins and an eye-catching color pattern. Its body is yellowish-silver or dusky with a characteristic black bar through the eye, and another dark bar from the dorsal fin's origin across the rear edge of the operculum to the belly, often enclosing a black blotch. Additionally, there is typically another smaller black streak at the start of the anal fin. The median fins are dusky yellow with black margins towards the back, and the pelvic fins can range from yellow to blackish.

The fish's body is orbicular and strongly compressed, with its depth being more than twice the length of its head, which is also quite short relative to the body length. As they grow, adults develop a bony hump between the top of the head and the region between the eyes, giving the head profile a near-vertical appearance. They feature jaws lined with slender, flattened tricuspid teeth, while the vomer has a few teeth but none on the palatines. On each side of the lower jaw, there are five pores.

The Longfin Spadefish's dorsal fin comprises 5 to 6 spines and 28 to 37 soft rays, while the anal fin includes 3 spines and 22 to 28 soft rays. The dorsal parts of adults present a uniform dark ocular band.

Large adults are typically found in sheltered bays and deeper offshore waters, often around shipwrecks, either in small groups or larger schools. Juveniles associate with floating debris and tend to form aggregations, commonly finding refuge under large Sargassum rafts, which usually appear after the wet season. They thrive in shallow, protected inner reefs as juveniles but move to lagoon and seaward reefs to depths exceeding 20 meters as they mature.

While edible, the Longfin Spadefish is not highly valued for consumption. Geographically, they are located in the Indo-West Pacific, spanning from the 🌊 Red Sea and East Africa to Papua 🇵🇬 New Guinea, extending northward to the Ryukyu Islands (🇯🇵 Japan) and southward to 🇦🇺 Australia. They have also been recorded in the Bay of Islands, 🇳🇿 New Zealand, and the 🌊 Persian Gulf. The genus name Platax is derived from the Greek word "platys," meaning flat, aptly describing the fish's body shape.