Genus: Platax, Batfishes, Orbicular Spadefish

PLATAX

BATFISHES

Body a highly compressed disc; head short, upper profile smoothly convex to dorsal fin rays; convex snout very short, blunt; margin of preopercle smooth in adults; mouth small, opens at front; teeth slender, tips broader, with 3 points; lower gill rakers 8-10; dorsal fin continuous, V–VI (spines not easily seen, gradually increasing in size towards rear), no notch, 28-39 rays; anal fin III, 22-29; front of soft dorsal and anal, and pelvics elongate; pectoral fins short; pelvic fin origin before pectoral base; tail truncate; lateral line complete, 50 or more scales; scales small, nearly all of space between eyes scaleless; shape changes dramatically with age, juveniles with greatly elongate dorsal, anal and pelvic fins.

An Indo-central Pacific genus with 5 species; one introduced to SE Florida