Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of Madang District, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 820 new records
Author
Fricke, Ronald
Author
Allen, Gerald R.
Author
Andréfouët, Serge
Author
Chen, Wei-Jen
Author
Hamel, Mélanie A.
Author
Laboute, Pierre
Author
Mana, Ralph
Author
Hui, Tan Heok
Author
Uyeno, Daisuke
text
Zootaxa
2014
3832
1
1
247
journal article
45252
10.11646/zootaxa.3832.1.1
8646401a-8028-4795-a6d6-1f9d75607e41
1175-5326
250559
BAB612A4-03DB-4958-BEB1-92DE278FBB90
Ephippidae
Platax orbicularis
(Forsskål in Niebuhr, 1775)
—Round batfish
STATUS AT MADANG.
New record
from Madang, based on aspecimen observed in Madang Harbour on
25 Oct. 2012
; another collected by a local fisherman and photographed on the central Barrier Reef on
27 Oct. 2012
. Specimens observed and photographed at St. CTR 13, CTR 16, CTR 16B. AMS, USNM and WAM material (AMS I.16755-002; USNM 207100; WAM P.30617-011).
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT. Red Sea, East and
South Africa
,
Madagascar
and western Mascarenes east to Tuamotu Archipelago, north to southern
Japan
, south to Western
Australia
,
New Caledonia
, and
Tonga
. Introduced into West Atlantic waters off Florida,
USA
. Found in shallow protected coastal waters to deep, somewhat silty habitats; juveniles occur singly or in small groups among inner sheltered lagoons while adults move out to open waters over sandy areas of deep lagoons, channels, and seaward coral reefs,
1–
30 m
. Transitional water and marine.
Platax teira
(Forsskål in Niebuhr, 1775)
—Blunthead batfish, longfin batfish
STATUS AT MADANG.
New record
from Madang, based on specimens photographed at St. CTR 16, and by A. Berberian. AMS material (AMS I.16755-001).
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT. Red Sea, East and
South Africa
;
Madagascar
and western Mascarenes east to Northern Marianas, Solomon and Loyalty islands, north to southern
Japan
and Ogasawara Islands, south to northern
Australia
,
Norfolk Island
and northern
New Zealand
. Adults are found in sheltered bays as well as deep offshore, associated with coral reefs; juveniles with floating debris and form aggregations,
0–
20 m
. Transitional water and marine.