BATFISH

Two distinct groups of fish are referred to as BATFISHES. Batfishes are members of the Ogcocephalidae family, which includes two anglerfishes, but the term is most generally applied to members of the Platacidae family, which includes maritime perch-like fish with highly elongated wing-like dorsal and anal fins. Platax species have highly compressed, almost round bodies, and when swimming, their long fins give them a bat-like appearance. They are found in the Indo-Pacific region and grow to be around 2 feet (60 cm) tall. In the young, they are red-yellow with dark vertical bands that fade with maturity, and they closely mimic the floating and yellowing of the red mangrove. In a mangrove swamp, when pursued by a predator, the fish stop swimming and float motionless like leaves. Small crustaceans and the general debris of coastal and mangrove wetlands are their main sources of food. FAMILY:   Platacidae,   CLASS: Pisces, ORDER: Perciformes.