Ephippidae

Ephippidae is a family of fish that contain spadefishes. There are about eight genera, with a total of 20 species, mostly sea. The most well known coral species in the genus Platax-lived, which batfishes, which is kept as an aquarium fish.

Their shovel-shaped, laterally compressed, and very symmetrical triangular dorsal and anal fins. They are shiny silver with yellow and dark brown field vertical or appeal. Eyes are often located in one of the vertical band as a method of camouflage. Scuba divers sometimes mistake them for angelfish, which is similar in shape but are not closely related. Other genera in the family are characterized by long, trailing, pointed dorsal and anal fins. Most species feed mainly on algae and small invertebrates.

Some spadefishes popular sport fishing catch. The Atlantic spadefish (Chaetodipterus Faber), for example, is a black and white zebra-striped fish common draw just offshore in the southeastern United States and Caribbean. They are favorites because they put up a fight because they stumbled in Spadefish are generally considered to be overfished group. Most of the individuals caught small and young and far from the maximum size recorded for their species.

A recent study in Current Biology (vol 16, p 2434) has suggested that Platus pinnate batfish may play a critical role as a functional group in the Great Barrier Reef by eating seaweed that other herbivorous fish such as parrotfish and surgeonfish will not touch. Overgrowth of seaweed among corals occurs as a result of overfishing of the fish species of corals and inhibit the ability to support life.