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Batfish Facts and Species Information

[Batfish Phylum: Chordata] [Class: Actinopterygii] [Order: Lophiiformes] [Family: Ogcocephalidae]

Out of all 60+ different species of batfish, the most common sighting for scuba divers is the circular batfish (Platax orbicularis).

This section contains fun facts and information about batfish species, including where they live, what they eat, and how batfishes reproduce.

Habitat and Distribution of Marine Batfishes

You can find batfish living in most of the warm and temperate oceans around the world.

There are more than sixty (60) extant (still in existence) species that inhabit the majority of saltwater environments.

Some of the members belong with a group of about 200 anglerfish of the order Lophiiformes.

Large schools of batfishes are quite bold in their natural habitat. They often swim close to scuba divers and skin divers.

The orbicular batfish (P. orbicularis) is one of the rounded batfish that lives in superabundance in almost all of the Indo-Pacific regions - and even in parts of the western Atlantic Ocean (e.g. southern Florida).

Batfish Characteristics and Behaviour

It's fair to characterise the adult deep sea batfishes by their broad, somewhat flattish, head with a slender body, but not rounded or triangular.

Most of these types of batfish also have rigid bumps on their skin. Some of the group also have sharp spines, and others feature an elongated, upturned nose (snout).

Here's the thing:

Unlike the cooper batfish (Platax orbicularis), these creatures are not good swimmers. In fact, you may see them using their adapted pectoral fins to walk along the bottom of the seabed when they hunt for prey.

Most of the species grow to about thirty (30) centimetres long. But, the biggest adult batfish can measure around seventy (70) centimetres in length (28 inches). Thus, the disc-shaped Platax teira is a good example of the largest batfishes.

What Do Batfish Eat?

Being mostly a carnivorous ray-finned fish species, batfish tend to supplement their daily diet with a combination of:

However, most of the omnivorous batfish specimens feed on:

How Do Batfishes Reproduce?

Even outside the mating season, adult orbicular batfish group together in small schools - and sometimes in large congregations. But, the juveniles live more of a solitary lifestyle.

Female batfish reach sexual maturity after growing to about 32 centimetres long (13 inches). After laying pelagic eggs (meaning they spawn in open ocean), the baby batfish are vulnerable until they can feed on algae and small invertebrates.

Types of Batfish Species

Atlantic Batfish (Dibranchus atlanticus)

Dibranchus atlanticus represents one of the most unusual deep-sea batfish species. This particular batfish fish belongs to the order Lophiiformes (ray-finned anglerfishes).

They are found in most of the western Atlantic Ocean, including North Carolina, and even further south in the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil.

It is a benthic marine batfish that inhabits the soft, muddy, or sandy substrates of continental slopes and similar deep-sea environments, typically between two hundred (200) and six hundred (600) metres below sea level (330 fathoms).

Physical Features

Their heart shaped body is small and flattened, which creates the familiar "bat-like" appearance if viewed from above.

The reddish-brown and gray colouration helps to provide them with some camouflage against the backdrop of sediment on the ocean floor. A ventrally located mouth is ideal for bottom feeding.

It would be rare for the Atlantic batfish to grow much bigger than twenty (20) centimetres long (8 inches).

Diet and Feeding

Atlantic batfishes are benthic ambush predators and scavengers that feed on tiny invertebrates, especially segmented worms, crustaceans, brittle stars, and ocean mollusks, such as bivalve clams.

As with other types of anglerfishes, Dibranchus atlanticus attracts its prey using a modified illicium (dorsal spine) with esca (the lure) located near the mouth.

Interesting Fact: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not see any specific risk for the conservation status of the Atlantic batfish (Dibranchus atlanticus) and assessed them as one of the "least-concern species".

Brazilian Batfish (Ogcocephalus vespertilio)

Circular Seabat (Halieutaea)

Humpback Batfish (Platax batavianus)

Longfin Batfish (Platax teira)

Minipizza Batfish (Halieutaea stellata)

Ninespine Batfish (Zabidius novemaculeatus)

Orbicular Batfish (Platax orbicularis)

A deep, disc-shaped, compressed body, and symmetrical anal and dorsal fins, are standout characteristics of Ephippidae spadefishes.

This segment contains fun facts and information about circular batfish (Platax orbicularis), including where they live, what they eat, and how they reproduce.

Pinnate Spadefish (Platax pinnatus)

Polka-dot Batfish (Ogcocephalus cubifrons)

Red-Lipped Batfish (Ogcocephalus darwini)

The picture in our catalog of funniest fish names shows how appropriate it was for scientists to classify it as the red-lipped batfish.

Moreover, being a resident of the Galapagos Islands means the locals also dubbed it the Galapagos batfish.

Roughback Batfish (Ogcocephalus parvus)

Shortnose Batfish (Ogcocephalus nasutus)

Batfish Predators and Threats

Even though some batfish live in freshwater and are of some interest to the aquarium industry, most of the marine batfish live in deep water and have few natural predators. But, most of the shark phylum prey on the disc-shaped orbicular batfish.

Pro Tip: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species assessed most global batfish species as being widespread and of "Least Concern" (LC).

Related Information and Help Guides

Note: The short video [1:23 minutes] presented by "Deep Marine Scenes" contains more batfish facts with footage of the bottom dwelling red-lipped batfish (Ogcocephalus darwini) showing its modified fins used for walking on the ocean floor.